Hello,
I just got back from a trip to Damascus and I am now planning on moving there to study Arabic in May. I was wondering if anybody out there has any useful information regarding housing options in the centre. I am looking to either rent a room (prefer the area of Bab Touma) or else rent a small apartment. Any suggestions, contacts, websites, etc. that you may have would be deeply appreciated!
Thank you in advance for your help...
Hi,
I moved here at the end of January to study Arabic. Finding a place involved a lot of searching ie looking at places and took some time. I know some people who can help you find a place if you'd like their details.
I've rented an a niceish (it's good but not perfect) 1 bedroom apartment in a place called shaalan, which is about 30 minutes walk both to the university and to the old city (and north of each). this costs around 500USD per month.
Many students go for a room in a Damascene house, with shared facilities, in say Bab Touma or Souq Saroujah and these are between 200USD and 400USD (tops) per month, depending on the size of the room and how much stuff you share (some have their own bathroom)
You can of course also rent an apartment with other students and it works out cheaper than just for yourself.
Let me know if you want more info, or if you'd like this in Syrian pounds - I'm going from Syrian pounds to Aussie dollars to US dollars above!
Post #1 gave you a good an accurate assessment of the process of finding a room in Damascus.
If you dnt get results from response on this forum .You can consider staying in a hotel for the first few days/week.In this time you can explore the local rental market and meet with many students at internet cafes .There is a good chance that you will find a room or apartment to share with other students.
... and the remarkable hotel I can only recommend for many positive reasons is damascushostel for it's as you wished to be, in the heart of damascus. I myself saw many students staying at that hostel who came from many countries, the other reason is that the staff there have a guiding knowlege in everything cocerning students and of course tourists.
Good Luck in Your Arabic Studies!