Sights in Syria
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funerary temple
Beyond the Tetrapylon the main street continues for another 500m. This stretch has seen much less excavation and reconstruction than elsewhere and is still littered with tumbled columns and assorted blocks of masonry. The road ends at the impressive portico of a funerary temple, dating from the 3rd century AD. The portico with its six columns stands as it was found but the walls are a relatively recent reconstruction.
This was the main residential section of town and streets can be seen leading off to both sides. There is scattered masonry everywhere, in places literally heaped into small hillocks of statuary fragments and decorated friezes and panels.
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Mosque of Mohi al-Din
On Souq al-Joumma, just a short distance east and facing a small square, is the modest Mosque of Mohi al-Din, with a beautiful late-Mamluk minaret. This is very much a community mosque, with men dozing in the shade of the prayer hall, but it's also a popular pilgrimage site - buried here is the body of Sheikh Mohi al-Din al-Arabi (who died in 1240), a great Sufi mystic whose writings are supposed to have greatly influenced Dante.
The tomb is downstairs, off to the left-hand side of the entrance courtyard; only men are allowed in. The claustrophobic chamber is filled by a cenotaph, enclosed in silver casing and illuminated by fluorescent green light.
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Madrassa az-Zahariyya
Two fine old madrassas (schools where Islamic law is taught) face each other across a narrow alley less than 100m northwest of the Umayyad Mosque. Both of these schools were erected in the 13th century during the ascendancy of the Ayyubids. Madrassa az-Zahariyya, on the eastern side of the alley, was originally a private house belonging to the father of Saladin.
Following the death in 1277 of the great Mamluk sultan and nemesis of the Crusaders, Beybars, the building was converted into his mausoleum. Someone will usually be around to let you in for a look. Note the band of splendid mosaic decoration in a style similar to that in the Umayyad Mosque.
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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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Umayyad Mosque
One of Islam's most magnificent buildings, and certainly the most important religious structure in all Syria, this mosque in the old city of Damascus is second only in sanctity to the holy mosques of Mecca and Medina. Its outstanding feature is its golden mosaics, which adorn several facades around the central courtyard. The three minarets, although subsequently altered, date back to the original construction.
In the small garden north of the mosque's walls is the modest, red-domed Mausoleum of Saladin, the resting place of one of the greatest heroes of Arab history. The mausoleum was originally built in 1193.
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Shrine of John the Baptist
Looking somewhat out of place in the sanctuary of the Umayyad Mosque Prayer Hall, is the green-domed, marble-clad Shrine of John the Baptist (Prophet Yehia to Muslims). The story goes that during the building of the mosque, back in the early 8th century, a casket was discovered buried under the old basilica floor. It contained the biblical character's head, still with skin and hair intact, and that's what's in the shrine. However, this is one of several claimed final resting places for the relic, and unless the saint was endowed with multiple heads, the authenticity of claims has to be seriously doubted.
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Azem Palace
Ross Burns, historian and author of the sage Monuments of Syria, regards the Azem Palace as 'one of the loveliest Ottoman residential buildings in Syria'. It's the former residence of the governor Asaad Pasha al-Azem, who ruled the town from 1742. The palace has strong echoes of the more grandiose building of the same name in Damascus, which is hardly surprising as the latter was also built by Al-Azem after he was transferred to the capital.
Burns singles out the haramlik (family or women's quarters), the area to the right of the entrance, as being particularly noteworthy.
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Roman Arch
No longer gated, the Christian Quarter begins where a small Roman Arch stands on a patch of grass beside Straight St. It's all that remains of what was probably a grand triple arch, which once marked an important intersection. Occupying the northeastern part of the Old City, the quarter is home to numerous churches representing various denominations, including Syrian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Armenian, Greek Catholic, Syrian Catholic and Maronite.
The wealth and education of the city's Christians is reflected in a thriving commercial atmosphere and a lively dining and drinking scene.
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Tariff Court
South of the agora is a large, walled rectangular space, known as the Tariff Court, because this is where the great tariff stele (now residing in the St Petersburg Hermitage) was found. The enormous stone tablet dates from AD 137 and bears the inscription 'Tariff of Palmyra', setting out the taxes payable on each commodity that passed through the city.
The small structure at the north end of the court, closest to the theatre, has a semicircular arrangement of tiered seating leading archaeologists to believe that it may have been the city's Senate ( M04DA), or council building.
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Straight St
Known also as Souq Medhat Pasha (the covered western part) and Sharia Bab Sharqi (the eastern part), the main east-west street that bisects the Old City has historically been known as Straight St, from the Latin, Via Recta.
While it's not exactly straight these days, this street was the main thoroughfare of Damascus during Greek and Roman times, when it would have appeared something like the main avenues still seen at Apamea or Palmyra. It was four times its present width and planted with a seemingly endless row of columns that supported a canvas street covering.
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Bab al-Farag
Until the 20th century there were 13 gates in the city walls, all closed at sunset, and there were inner gates dividing the Christian, Jewish and Islamic quarters. These inner gates are now gone, as are several of the main city gates.
Most impressive of those remaining are the northern Bab al-Farag ; Bab al-Faradis (Gate of Paradise), with a short stretch of market enclosed within its vaulting; Bab as-Salaama (Gate of Peace), the best-preserved of the gates and a beautiful example of Ayyubid military architecture; and, in the south, Bab as-Saghir (Little Gate).
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Bab as-Saghir
Until the 20th century there were 13 gates in the city walls, all closed at sunset, and there were inner gates dividing the Christian, Jewish and Islamic quarters. These inner gates are now gone, as are several of the main city gates.
Most impressive of those remaining are the northern Bab al-Farag (Gate of Joy); Bab al-Faradis (Gate of Paradise), with a short stretch of market enclosed within its vaulting; Bab as-Salaama (Gate of Peace), the best-preserved of the gates and a beautiful example of Ayyubid military architecture; and, in the south, Bab as-Saghir.
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Bab as-Salaama
Until the 20th century there were 13 gates in the city walls, all closed at sunset, and there were inner gates dividing the Christian, Jewish and Islamic quarters. These inner gates are now gone, as are several of the main city gates.
Most impressive of those remaining are the northern Bab al-Farag (Gate of Joy); Bab al-Faradis (Gate of Paradise), with a short stretch of market enclosed within its vaulting; Bab as-Salaama, the best-preserved of the gates and a beautiful example of Ayyubid military architecture; and, in the south, Bab as-Saghir (Little Gate).
reviewed
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Bab al-Faradis
Until the 20th century there were 13 gates in the city walls, all closed at sunset, and there were inner gates dividing the Christian, Jewish and Islamic quarters. These inner gates are now gone, as are several of the main city gates.
Most impressive of those remaining are the northern Bab al-Farag (Gate of Joy); Bab al-Faradis, with a short stretch of market enclosed within its vaulting; Bab as-Salaama (Gate of Peace), the best-preserved of the gates and a beautiful example of Ayyubid military architecture; and, in the south, Bab as-Saghir (Little Gate).
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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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Bimaristan Arghan
The splendid Bimaristan Arghan, is one of the most enchanting buildings in the whole of Aleppo. Dating from the 14th century, it was converted from a house into an asylum, a role it continued to perform until the 20th century. The main entrance gives access to a beautifully kept courtyard with a central pool overhung by greenery. Diagonally across, a doorway leads through to a series of tight passages, one of which terminates in a small, octagonal, domed courtyard.
Off this are 11 small cells; these are where the dangerous patients were confined.
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Azem Ecole
Built in 1770 by a member of the Azem family (successive generations of whom governed Damascus from 1725 to 1809), Azem Ecole is a former madrassa and a gem of urban Ottoman architecture. It has a beautiful little courtyard, hemmed in by a delicate three-storey gallery, the upper floor of which is wood. Currently it houses a souvenir store that has some stunning stuff, including Bedouin jewellery, silk brocades and brass. Staff can be a little pushy and prices a little high; it's best for those who've honed their bargaining skills.
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Western Temple Gate
At its eastern end, Souq al-Hamidiyya re-emerges back into glaring sunlight at the spot where the Western Temple Gate of the 3rd-century Roman Temple of Jupiter once stood. The outer walls of the Umayyad Mosque, directly ahead, mark the position of the temple itself, but here, on ground now occupied by stalls selling Qurans and religious paraphernalia, was the propylaeum (the monumental gateway to the temple complex).
What remains today are several enormous Corinthian columns carrying fragments of a decorated lintel.
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Mosque of Abu al-Feda
Looking north from the tell, just over the river, you'll see the small Mosque of Abu al-Feda, resting place of the 14th-century soldier-turned-poet of that name, who was also a noted historian, astronomer and botanist. His treatise on geography was a major source for European cartographers from the Renaissance onwards. He was elevated to become emir of Hama in 1320.
During his rule, Abu al-Feda commissioned his own mosque and tomb beside the Orontes in what he wrote was 'one of the most delectable of spots'.
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Khan al-Sabun
Away from the shopping temptations in the souq, there are some other khans well worth your time. In the block east of the Great Mosque is the early-16th-century Khan al-Sabun, largely obscured by a clutter of shops but with a distinctive, richly decorated Mamluk façade, considered to be one of the best examples of Mamluk architecture in the city. Internally it's one of the prettiest of khans, with vine-hung trelliswork and the brightly hued wares of carpet sellers draped over the balconies.
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Shaati al-Azraq
Six kilometres north of town, Shaati al-Azraq is Syria's premier coastal resort. While there are a few small stretches of sand in the area, access to the best stretches of beach is controlled by the Le Meridien and Cham hotels; each charges a fee per person for nonguests to use the beach and hotel swimming pool. Both hotels also hire out pedal boats, jet skis and sailboards. To get to Shaati al-Azraq take a waiting microbus from behind the large white school building on Saahat al-Sheikh Daher.
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Madrassa al-Adeliyya
Two fine old madrassas (schools where Islamic law is taught) face each other across a narrow alley less than 100m northwest of the Umayyad Mosque. Both of these schools were erected in the 13th century during the ascendancy of the Ayyubids. On the left (west), Madrassa al-Adeliyya was begun under Nureddin and continued under a brother of Saladin, Al-Adel Seif ad-Din, whose grave it contains. Its façade is considered a classic example of Ayyubid architecture.
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Beit Ghazzali
Backtrack across Saahat al-Hatab and make a beeline south along Sharia al-Kayyali. On the right is a door with a plaque announcing Beit GhazzaliNew. This is the largest house in the quarter. It was built in the 17th century and served as an Armenian school for much of the 20th century. It's now owned by the city council and is undergoing restoration until its fate is decided. Some of the walls have fine painted decoration and there's a splendid private hammam.
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Jebel Qassioun
That bare rocky rise northwest of the city, Jebel Qassioun, provides a useful orientation tool. It's from the top of this mount that Mohammed is said to have looked down on Damascus and made the observation that opened this chapter. The distinctly urban view today is hardly one of paradise, but it looks stunning at dusk, when the city lights up. There is no public transport to the popular viewing points, so hire a taxi and negotiate for the driver to wait.
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Al-Qaiqan Mosque
Take a quick detour left, immediately after Bab Antakya, up a flight of stone steps beside a hammam (often flagged by towels drying outside), to a street that follows the line of the old city ramparts. In addition to fascinating views, there's the little Al-Qaiqan Mosque with its doorway flanked by basalt Byzantine columns, a façade studded with column segments, and a block inscribed with Hittite script embedded in the south wall.
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