It wasn't too long ago that one can travel from Aleppo to Beirut or from Baghdad to Casablanca without crossing borders or requiring a passport. The North African, Levant and Arabian Peninsula spoke one language and honored similar traditions and values.

Despite the radical changes brought on by colonialism and other factors, the feeling of oneness remains constant among the 22 Arabic speaking countries who share culture, customs, and a passion for artisanal goods that are made, bought and sold in the old souks. 

At Mint + Laurel, we celebrate those cultural traditions and passion for artisanal goods. We also share that feeling of oneness. Throughout the summer, we will celebrate our towns and cities by sharing a gift with you with every purchase you make. That gift will represent a place we hold dear in the Middle East, and we will tell you a little bit about it.

We start with Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, and country that embraced 1.5 million Syrian refugees. While there's been some turmoil, overall, the Lebanese people embraced Syrians and supported them in their time of need. 

Culturally, Lebanon and Syria have shared a lot. A cuisine, dabkeh dance, artisanal crafts and much more. Fairuz, the famous Lebanese singer sang about a breeze from Syria, her love for Damascus and many more songs that are played throughout the day in cafes in Syria and Lebanon.

For the next two weeks, we celebrate the bond between Syria and Lebanon, we will gift a Beirut T-shirt with every purchase of a Syrian product valued at $60 or more