Damascus

Visited during a group tour in April 2023.

It is important that the city was practically not affected by military actions, unlike many other ancient Syrian cities.

It is quite difficult to move around Syria, there are many checkpoints, the only chance is to join an official tour, with a strictly planned route. But in Damascus you could safely go out into the city in the evenings without the control of a guide. 

Damascus is considered the oldest capital in the world and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, but, as usual, the issues of sufficient urbanity are very controversial. But it is undoubtedly one of the greatest cities in the Arab and, more broadly, the entire Islamic world. 

From the period when Damascus was truly the capital of a superpower, the Umayyad Caliphate (661-744), only one building remains, but Umayyad Mosque has the proud title of "the first great mosque", 

The place has been prayed for thousands of years, because there was an Aramaic temple of Hadad, which gradually turned into a Roman temple of Jupiter (a piece of the wall remained), which was transformed into a Byzantine church of John the Baptist (from which the mosque inherited the saint's head).

After the conquest of Damascus during the Jihad, Muslims and Christians prayed in one temple in different halves, until Caliph al-Walid in 705-715 decided not to build a new mosque on this site, which would correspond to the Islamic …

Damascus is a city of stories and a city of story-tellers. I met the first on the plane, somewhere over Germany. His name, he told me, was Anwar. His little village in Syria was only connected up to the electric grid for the first time on the night of his birth. His father named him Anwar, meaning ‘light’ in celebration. When he found I would be visiting Damascus he insisted I take his phone number. He gave me three recommendations: visit Mirmar Sinan’s Takiyya al-Süleimaniyya near the National Museum, wander around the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, and queue up for ice cream at Bakdash on Souq al-Hamidiyya. The second of note was Maurice, an old chap I met on Sharia Bab Sharqi, the old Biblical ‘Street that is called Straight’. He told me of his life and travels as an agent for KLM and recommended places to feed the body and the soul: “I usually pray in the Ananias Chapel at 7pm. You are welcome to join me.” And the third was Abu Shady, last of the hakawati, the professional story-tellers. Dressed in baggy trousers, waistcoat and tarboush, glasses perched on the end of his nose, he held a crowd of all ages and nationalities at the Al-Nawfara Coffee Shop enthralled with his tales of heroes long gone. In hushed voice he built the suspense and then – SLAM! down came the flat of a sword upon a table. I jumped in shock and a chuckle rattled …

Just been to the Old City today, looking for genuine Damaschin things to buy for my daughters. Wandered around parts of the Old City without a map, knowing the sun was in South. I was the only foreigner around for obvious reasons, which was kind of nice since everybody said "hello", offered me tea or fresh orange juice (yummie!) and wanted me to see their shop or just have a chat. Towards Bab Sharq, I found a shop with furniture etc. of wood with inlaid Mother of Pearl - really nice things. According to the shop owner, it is hand made, he showed me his workshop, and I will go back and buy some of his things since finishing and design was really nice - and hand made, nor produced by a machine. Furthermore, I saw numerous cafés and restaurants in my way; I cannot wait to try them out, escaping the awfull hotel food! Got to get to know the full story of Dimasq!

There is no city in the Middle East that can offer such a beautiful and authentic old town as Damascus. Do not try to follow the map but dare to let yourself drift through the small, narrow and winding streets of the old town and immerse yourself in the bustling life of the Souq and the Muslim, Christian and Jewish Quarter. Entertain yourself with the stores owners who drink tea and chat with locals. The Old City of Damascus is an oriental dream and the people living there are known from a hospitality and likability.

Doug (USA)

I went to Syria in 1997. Syria was a wonderful country to visit. Damascus was the first stop. The Damascus museum has great things to see but isn't up to modern standards. The facade of the entrance is fabulous. The main mosque must be seen for the courtyard and its mosaic facade. The interior is bland and rebuilt after a fire 100 years ago. I walked around the souk and the modern suburbs for hours. Don't miss a visit to the nearby hills to see an overview of the city and see how it is an oasis. Besides being a fascinating place, the people I met were so friendly.