Madrid, Sep. 6 (SANA) In the heart of Madrid, trays of baklava, maamoul and knafeh offer more than a taste of Syria. On the walls of Sham pastry shops are images of Aleppo, comparisons between Syrian and Spanish dishes, and references to Syria’s recent history.
Nur Mansour, 41, was born in Madrid to a family originally from Aleppo. She wanted her business to be more than a place selling pastries — “a part of Syria here in Madrid,” as she puts it.
Mansour traveled frequently to Aleppo as a child and moved there with her husband after they married in 2007. They expected to build their life there, but five years later the war forced them to return to Spain.
In 2012, an explosion near a military building in Aleppo damaged their home and prompted their return to Madrid, Mansour told SANA.
They had about €11,000 and expected to stay in Madrid for two or three months before returning to Syria. Instead, their temporary stay became permanent as the war forced millions of Syrians to leave their homes.
By then, the couple had a three-year-old daughter and a newborn baby. Finding work in a Spain still affected by the economic crisis was difficult.
Mansour, who holds a degree in Arabic Philology, worked as a translator for the UAE military attaché in Spain. Her husband, an architect, found work at a restaurant before moving to a pastry shop.
When his employer closed the establishment, the couple decided to start their own business.
At first, Sham was simply a means of earning a living while they waited to return to Syria. Over time, however, it became a way to maintain their connection with their homeland.
“We started to love the idea of Sham because it also became a part of Syria in Spain,” Mansour said.
From a small shop to a Syrian cultural space
The first Sham outlet, near the M-30 mosque, was small. A second shop near Retiro Park was well received, encouraging further expansion. After the pandemic slowed their plans, they resumed in 2021 and opened a fourth location in Madrid’s central Chueca neighborhood in 2025.
The business now produces about 4,000 pieces of pastry a day, according to Mansour.
For her, Syrian food provides a way to introduce a country that many Spaniards had known mainly through images of war.
“The goal is not just to sell sweets, but to have a part of Syria here in Madrid. We want people to discover Syrian sweets, our culture and the beautiful side of Syria,” she said.
Television and radio interviews about the business brought attention to the story behind Sham and attracted new customers.
Mansour also uses the opportunity to highlight Syria’s culinary traditions. While many Spaniards associate baklava primarily with Turkey, she seeks to showcase the Syrian tradition of the dessert and its distinctive characteristics.
“Spaniards like to try new things,” she said.
Syria on the walls
The identity of the shops extends beyond the food. Mansour has designed displays that place Syrian and Spanish cultural elements side by side.
One compares Syrian kibbeh with Spanish croquettes, while others draw parallels between sweets from the two countries. Through food, she seeks to bring the two cultures closer.
Some displays address Syria’s recent history. One recalls December 8, 2024, which Mansour describes as “engraved in the heart of every Syrian,” referring to the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Another compares ousted Assad with Adolf Hitler, an idea she said came from her daughter.
The displays have also prompted conversations with customers. Mansour said she has encountered people who associated Syrian revolutionaries with terrorism and viewed ousted Assad as the positive side of the war. The images, she said, gave her an opportunity to present what she considers the truth of those events.
“Through these images, many people here learned the truth,” she said.
The pastry shops are not intended to be political spaces, Mansour said. References to the war coexist with music, recipes, images of Aleppo and traditional culture, reflecting her desire to highlight a part of Syria that was overshadowed by years of conflict.
“We have given them another idea: Syrians work, we have the ability to start over and to build,” she said.
N.J/MF
