Damascus Things to Do

Azm Palace is one of the grand old houses that can be found in the Old City of Damascus. It was built in 1750 and served as the house of Asad Pasha Azm, then Ottoman governor of the city. Today, the...

The Omayyad Mosque, which I saw it in 2011 when we started our middle east trip was so beautiful. It was built by Abdulmelik bin Merwan who is the fifth calif of umayyad dynasty. ?t is rumoured that...

I don't suppose many of us will ever get the chance to wander around Damascus in the near future but if things cool down their it is certainly worth wandering around the souks. I could not resist the...

While Roman and Greek art was highly developed in the realms of figurative sculpture and pottery, some of the best examples of the highly-developed artistic traditions of these two cultures can be...

Saladin (Salahadin in Arabic), much feared in the West, is seen as a hero in Damascus and throughout the entire Muslim world. Saladin was a Kurdish Muslim who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and reigned...

Rail travel may not been quite as well established in the Middle East as it is in Europe, but it’s not for lack of trying. During the Ottoman period, and again under British and French Mandates,...

Only about 10% of Syrians might be Christians, but the long and enduring presence of the faith in the country has led to no small division of sects among the believers. Schism after schism has created...

Ironically, the Citadel of Damascus does not occupy as commanding a presence as one might expect. The densely populated old town, with its compact souqs and the importance of its religious sites...

The most famous hammam (Arab bath) in Damascus, Hammam Nureddine (also spelt Nur al-Din) is also its grandest and one of its oldest. It was built by the Zengid ruler Nureddine in 1154 AD to generate...

In contrast to the tomb area of the shrine, the courtyard and the prayer hall are calm and well-organized sections. The courtyard is filled with pilgrims from various parts of the Shiite world (there...

Khan As’ad Pasha Khan Asad Pasha is an important monument in the walled city of Damascus, within the Bzouriyyeh Souk. It was built by the governor of Syria, Asad al Azem, in 1752,being used as a...

This chapel stands on the site of Ananias' house. Ananias was the man, who after receiving a message from God, miraculously restored the sight of Saul (later known as St. Paul). The ancient chapel...

A splendid 18th century mansion, Beit Nizam served as the residence of the British ambassador in the 19th century and later as the French consulate. It was designed in the typical Damascene...

A fine example of traditional Damascene houses, Beit Siba'i dates from the 18th century. Architecturally, it might also be considered the purest Syrian form, not too different from Azem Palace,...

Located south-west of the old city, Bab al-Saghir was named the Gate of Mars in Roman Damascus. Much like some of the other gates in the city, Bab al-Saghir was rebuilt in the 12th century by...