Dark sights in Syria
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Hypogeum of the Three Brothers
In addition to the funerary towers, Palmyra boasts a second, later type of tomb, the hypogeum, which was an underground burial chamber. As with the towers, this chamber was filled with loculi fitted with stone carved seals. The best of the 50 or more hypogea that have been discovered and excavated, apart from the Hypogeum of Yarhai, is the Hypogeum of the Three Brothers , which lies just southwest of the Palmyra Cham Palace hotel.
The tomb dates from AD 160 to AD 91. It is very modest in size but contains some beautiful frescoes, including portraits of the three brothers in oval frames. There are also three large sarcophagi topped by figures reclining on couches. You'll…
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Mausoleum of Saladin
In the small archaeological garden that lies along the north wall of the Umayyad Mosque are a few columns dating back to the original Roman Temple of Jupiter, and a small white building topped by a rust-red dome, which is the Mausoleum of Saladin. The famed, chivalrous adversary of the Western Crusaders died in Damascus in 1193, and the original mausoleum was erected on this site that same year.
It was restored with funds made available by Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany during his visit to Damascus in 1898.
For a man who was famed for his austerity, the mausoleum is a fittingly modest affair. Inside are two cenotaphs - the walnut-wood one on the right, richly decorated with…
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Madrassa an-Nuri
Just 50m beyond Azem Ecole, Madrassa an-Nuri is easy to pick out because of its crimson domes. The structure is fairly modern and not particularly noteworthy but inside is a surviving part of a madrassa dating from 1172, which houses the mausoleum of Nureddin, the uncle of Saladin, who united Syria and paved the way for his nephew's successes against the Crusaders.
It's not necessary to enter the building to see the tomb chamber. Instead, walk down the narrow market alley beside the madrassa and peer in through a big iron-grille opening in the wall.
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Shrine of Hussein
To the eastern side of the Umayyad Mosque courtyard, but a part of the mosque building itself, is the Shrine of Hussein, son of Ali and grandson of the Prophet. He was killed by the Umayyads at Kerbala in Iraq. The shrine attracts large numbers of Shiite Muslims (Ali is regarded as the founder of Shiism), and black-clad Iranians are a common sight, making straight across the courtyard for this part of the mosque.
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Jamaa al-Jedid
Tucked down narrow Sharia al-Nawa'eer, the 14th-century Jamaa al-Jedid contains the tomb of Ismat al-Din Khatun, wife of first Nureddin and then his successor Saladin. The richly decorated burial chamber is worth a look.
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Mausoleum of Al-Malek az-Zaher Ghazi
At the Ayyubid Madrassa as-Sultaniyya is the Mausoleum of Al-Malek az-Zaher Ghazi, a son of Saladin (Salah ad-Din), and one-time occupant of the Citadel.
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