Damascus travel guide

See

The Souq al-Hamidiyya, a broad street packed with tiny shops, is entered through columns from a Roman temple built on a site that had been occupied by an even older temple. The souqs themselves smell of cumin and other distinctive spices and you can find passages dedicated to everything from leather and copper goods to inlaid boxes and silk scarves. At the end of Souq al-Hamidiyya stands the great Umayyad Mosque; this building with three minarets is an architectural wonder. It was an Assyrian temple, then a Roman temple to Jupiter, a church when Rome converted to Christianity, then a mosque and a church together, and finally a mosque until now.

• Temple of Jupiter
• Umayyad Mosque
• Azm Palace
• Citadel of Damascus
• Statue of Saladin
• Khan As'ad Pasha
• Khan al-Harir
• Menarsha Synagogue
• Racqy Synagogue
• Elfrange Synagogue
• Saint Ananias House
• Cathedral of Saint George

Do

• Damascus Opera House
• Nur-al-Din Bath
• Bakri Bath

Eat

The famous vegetarian falafel sandwich, chicken shawarma, and manakeesh, bread filled with zatar, spinach, meat, pizza-style tomato and cheese or other fillings are widely available and cheap. Less common but still widely spread are places which sell foul (boiled fava beans with sauce) and hummus. A typical Damascene dish is fatteh, made up of soaked bread, chickpeas and yogurt. Delicious and extremely filling, it is excellent on a cold winter's day. Try it with lamb or sheep's tongue, or plain with the typical garnish of a little pickle and nuts. There is a foul restaurant on Souq Saroujah, the same street as hotel Al-Haramein and one at the bab touma square.

Drink

The coffee houses of Old Damascus were something to experience. Hours could dissolve over a cup of shay (tea) or ahwa (coffee) among the smoke of a nargileh (water pipe). An-Naufara (which means 'The Fountain') was a wonderful place to do this, just east of the Umayyad Mosque. There was even a Hakawati (a traditional story teller) present at 19:00 most nights. If you were craving a European coffee, you could have headed for Abu Rommeneh street and looked for the Bennetton clothing store. There were a number of fancy cafés in the area, including the Middle Eastern chain Inhouse Coffee, which is similar to Starbucks in its prices and atmosphere.

Stay safe

See the Syria article for information on the security situation. In rural and modern areas of Damascus, people have been known to be perfectly healthy, but to imitate beggars in order to get money. Often, they will attempt to con you by giving more money and have many tricks to do so. Exercise caution. Also, for your safety, do not take advice or recommendations, especially about accommodation, doctors and dentists, from taxi drivers. Damascus itself has not been an active war zone for several years now. Nonetheless, the political by-products of the war continue to negatively impact travellers.