“Water Mermaids” Temple in Old Damascus…a deep-rooted holy landmark 

Damascus city has been the cradle of many civilizations for thousands of years civilizations that left many archaeological sites and monuments that are still present to this day among which is the Temple of the Water Mermaids.

The temple is located in the ancient “Al-Sagha”( gold) market on the eastern side of the Umayyad Mosque in Old Damascus.

The archaeologist at the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums (GDAM) “Iyad Ghanem” told the E-Syria (Blog) that “the temple is of great importance because it is located in the oldest and most inhabited city in the world Damascus.”

He pointed out that the recent discoveries revealed that the temple played a key role in performing rituals related to the Temple of Jupiter, adding the GDAM discovered the temple, which dates back to the Roman era, headed by the late “Nassib Salibi” in 1970.

The GDAM found a biblical text in the temple in addition to stone curves which include tubes of pottery for water. A proposal was submitted years ago with the aim of opening, improving and displaying the curves to visitors and tourists as a museum.

“The Temple of the “Water Mermaids” is part of the Great Temple of Jupiter, and was excavated in the seventies during the German-Syrian mission” according to the Archaeologist Mayson al-Hamid .

She indicated that the importance of this landmark stems from the fact that it is the only open place in “Old Damascus and it was named so because of the holy water that was used in ancient historical periods.

Al-Hamid said that the upper parts of the temple , which belongs  to the Islamic Middle Ages, may not be a palace, but rather the house of one of the dignitaries of that era, adding through previous excavations, broken pottery and metal containers which were used in the manufacture of gold jewelries .

She added the temple needs an increase in the excavation workshops within the site, and the continuity of work in it-

Syria  is a country that has a rich history of deep-rooted civilizations since ancient times, and therefore archaeological and cultural awareness should be raised about the importance of  the tangible and intangible  Syrian heritage  and highlighted in the media” Al-Hamid stressed .

Archaeologist Al-Hamid , who is a member of the Friends of Museums and Archaeological Sites Association , called for  promoting the archaeological culture in the society , which is one of the main goals of the association, as well as preserving the ancient monuments and considering them an integral part of our identity .

Rawaa  Ghanam