HOW did Syria's revolution lose its way? There's a chance to find out the answer first hand in Salisbury when Diana Darke visits the Salisbury Journal Speakers' Festival later this month.

Drawing on the author's first-hand knowledge of the country's complex religious and ethnic communities. My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis illuminates the darker recesses of Syria's history, politics, and society.

With the unique perspective of an Arabic-speaking British woman, Diana Darke became deeply embedded in all levels of Syrian society when she bought and restored a house in a mixed Sunni/Shi'a neighborhood of the walled Old City of Damascus.

As fighting intensified and millions were forced to flee their homes, she offered her house as a sanctuary to friends. By following her experiences and struggles with the realities of life on the ground inside Syria, the reader will arrive at a clearer understanding of why the country remains locked in conflict and why most ordinary Syrians are caught between a repressive government and a splintering opposition, now overshadowed by a monster called ISIS.

Diana Darke is a fluent Arabic speaker and has specialised in the Middle East for over 30 years. The owner of an old courtyard house within the walls of Old Damascus, she is well known as an authority on Syria and has written for the Sunday Times, the Guardian, the Financial Times and the BBC. Diana Darke is the author of several guides to Syria and Eastern Turkey.

A Q&A session will follow.

Diana Darke: My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis

Saturday 25th March 17.00 – 18.15 (At The Blackledge Theatre,The Godolphin School)

Click HERE to purchase tickets