Architectural, Cultural sights in Damascus
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Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya
Lying immediately east of the National Museum, Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya was built over six years, beginning in 1554, to a design by the Ottoman Empire's most brilliant architect, Sinan. A favourite of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent, Sinan would later create the splendid Süleymaniye Mosque that dominates Istanbul's skyline.
The Takiyya (an Ottoman term for a Sufi hostel) is a more modest affair than the Istanbul mosque, blending local Syrian styles (the alternating Mamluk-era black-and-white banding and honeycomb-style stonework over the main entrance) with typically Turkish features (the high central dome and pencil-shaped minarets). It has two parts: the mosque to the…
reviewed
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Maktab Anbar
Unseen behind the high walls within the Old City are hundreds of delightful houses built around courtyards and featuring their own elaborate decoration. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in a sad state of disrepair, but a loop off Straight St takes in several examples, all of which have benefited from renovation.
From Dahdah Palace, go west to Sharia al-Amin, turn right then left onto Straight St, then turn right for Maktab Anbar. Built in 1867 by a Jewish trader who, legend has it, travelled to India and returned with a hat full of diamonds, the extravagant palace was seized in 1890 when he couldn't pay his taxes, and was turned into a women's boarding school. T…
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Beit as-Sibai
Unseen behind the high walls within the Old City are hundreds of delightful houses built around courtyards and featuring their own elaborate decoration. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in a sad state of disrepair, but a loop off Straight St takes in several examples, all of which have benefited from renovation.
Head south down Sharia Hassan Kharet and take the first left for Beit as-Sibai, built between 1769 and 1774, and beautifully restored. This splendid building is the sort of place you could imagine living in. In fact, for a time during the 1990s it served as the residence of the German ambassador. Now it's mostly used as a set for historical TV dramas and…
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Beit Nizam
Unseen behind the high walls within the Old City are hundreds of delightful houses built around courtyards and featuring their own elaborate decoration. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in a sad state of disrepair, but a loop off Straight St takes in several examples, all of which have benefited from renovation.
Walk on past Beit as-Sibai and turn right at the T-junction for Beit Nizam, another breathtakingly beautiful 18th-century house, although in this case executed on a far grander scale. It has been organised around two large courtyards, the one to the rear coloured by orange trees and rose bushes. In the mid-19th century it served as the French consulate. …
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Dahdah Palace
Unseen behind the high walls within the Old City are hundreds of delightful houses built around courtyards and featuring their own elaborate decoration. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in a sad state of disrepair, but a loop off Straight St takes in several examples, all of which have benefited from renovation.
A five-minute walk east through the back alleys brings you to Dahdah Palace, an 18th-century residence owned by the Dahdah family. Ring the bell for an informal guided tour by the charming Mrs Dahdah and her daughter (both of whom speak excellent English) of the graceful courtyard, fragrant with jasmine and lemon trees, the liwan (summer room), and the r…
reviewed
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Beit al-Aqqad
Unseen behind the high walls within the Old City are hundreds of delightful houses built around courtyards and featuring their own elaborate decoration. Unfortunately, many of these treasures are in a sad state of disrepair, but a loop off Straight St takes in several examples, all of which have benefited from renovation.
Just a few steps away from Khan Süleiman Pasha, Beit al-Aqqad was formerly the home of a wealthy family of textile merchants. It now houses the Danish Institute in Damascus. Visitors are welcome to come in and look at the courtyard, which is graced by a massive expanse of gorgeous inlaid-stone decoration.
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Imaret Sultan Süleiman
Imaret Sultan Süleiman, another building designed by Sinan (the architect behind Takiyya as-Süleimaniyya), is across the main street. Historian Ross Burns, in Monuments of Syria: A Historical Guide, suggests the Hanbila Mosque is worth a visit for the Crusader columns in the courtyard; however, it's often locked.
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Khan Süleiman Pasha
Straight Street is busiest at the western end (Souq Medhat Pasha), where it's largely devoted to shops selling textiles and clothes. There are several old khans in this area, their gates still locked at night. Khan Süleiman Pasha, built in 1732, has a central courtyard that was formerly roofed by two domes.
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Khan az-Zeit
Straight Street is busiest at the western end (Souq Medhat Pasha), where it's largely devoted to shops selling textiles and clothes. There are several old khans in this area, their gates still locked at night. On the north side is the pretty Khan az-Zeit.
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Khan Jakmak
Straight Street is busiest at the western end (Souq Medhat Pasha), where it's largely devoted to shops selling textiles and clothes. There are several old khans in this area, their gates still locked at night. Khan Jakmak is one example.
reviewed
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