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Love Damascus - Your Guide to Damascus, the Oldest Living City

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Tourist Attractions in Damascus City, Damascus

Total: 162

The Umayyad Mosque

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Landmarks, Mosques, Roman Remains, Shrines

In the same way that Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the wrld, the Umayyad Mosque is also the oldest continuously used place of worship in the world. The site of the mosque had been once a magnificent Aramaean temple dedicated to the storm and rain god “Hadad”. During the Hellenistic Period, the Aramaic temple was turned into the Temple of Zeus, only to be converted later into the Temple of Jupiter during the Roman Period. In the second half of the 4th century, the Byzantines built a church dedicated to John the Baptist in the western part of the inner temple courtyard. The church contained the shrine of John the Baptist’s head. At the beginning of the 8th century, the Umayyad ruler Al-Waleed Bin Abdul Malek turned the whole site into the mosque that graces Damascus Old City today. Worshippers from all religions visit the Umayyad Mosque, which according to Islamic beliefs, will see the return of Jesus Christ. They pray next to the shrines of both John the Baptist and Al-Hussein Ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad....

Straight Street

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Landmarks, Roman Remains, Souqs (Markets)

Straight Street, or “Souq Midhat Pasha” as it is known today, is the biblical “Sreet Called Straight” which has kept its original path since the Roman Period. It is the central street of the Old City with a length of around 1500m stretching from Bab Al-Jabiya in the west to Bab Sharqi in the east. Today, the street is referred to as Souq Midhat Pasha in relation to the huge market which the Ottoman governor of Damascus Midhat Pasha had established in the second half of the 19th century along the path of the original Roman street. Buried 5m under the current street level, parts of the original Roman Straight Street have been dug up in various excavations. These remains can be seen today decorating parts of the existing street, particularly towards Bab Sharqi....

Souq Al-Hamidiya

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Landmarks, Souqs (Markets)

The famous 500m long Al-Hamidiya market came into existence along the axis of th original Roman street that led to Jupiter’s Temple. It was not until the Ottoman Period in the late 19th century that the market was renovated to its present form under the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II....

Al-Azem Palace

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Houses, Damascene Landmarks

Al-Azem Palace is an outstanding example of richly decorated Damascene houses. t was built by the Ottoman governor of Damascus Asaad Pasha Al-Azem in the middle of the 18th century as his personal residence. The palace remained inhabited by Al-Azem family until the 1920s when, under the French Mandate, it was turned into the Institute of Oriental Studies. Today, Al-Azem Palace hosts the Museum for Local Folklore....

Khan Asaad Pasha

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Landmarks, Khans

One of the finest and most elaborate khans in Damascus, Khan Asaad Pasha was buit during the reign of the Ottoman governor of Damascus Asaad Pasha Al-Azem in the middle of the 18th century. The khan boasts a vast courtyard with a central water fountain. Shops and warehouses surround the courtyard on the ground level, whilst accommodation rooms are situated on the upper level....

Maktab Anbar

Tourist Attractions, Damascus Old City

Damascene Landmarks

A Damascene Jew by the name of Yousef Anbar built this beautiful mansion in the econd half of the 19th century during the Ottoman Period. The mansion was later converted into a school that became the birthplace of the Arab national movement against the Ottomans. In the 1930s, Maktab Anbar was turned into a school for women artisans and a museum. Currently, it is home to Damascus Old City’s local authorities....