Day two: Old Damascus inside the Wall – Part Two

We start with 1-Souk al Harika, a relatively modern souk and the first trade center in Syria. Next we move eastward to the

 2- Gold Souk, the main center for selling gold and silver jewelry in Damascus. From this souk we go to the left, northward to visit

3-The Museum of Arab Medicine and Sciences established in 1978, (Bimarstan al Nouri) built in 1154AD. The museum includes samples of the medical tools and documents about the development of medicine and sciences in Islamic civilization.

We leave this museum to go southward to the Straight Street from the end of souk al Bazouriya and go eastward to the Eastern Gate (Bab Sharqi) through the straight street.

 4-The Straight Street: (the ancient Via Recta-originally 15oo m long and 20-25 m wide) has been the main east -west thoroughfare of Damascus. It was the Greeks who reoriented the city on a grid pattern based on rectangles 45X100 m and today’s seemingly random streets and alleys still concur at many points with this ancient layout. The Romans broadened the street lining it with columns, at that time it would have been four times wider than at present. It is the road on which saint Paul (Saul) walked in his famous trip from Palestine to Damascus prosecuting the Christians. This street is one of the oldest streets in Damascus and starts from Madanet al Chahm and ends at the eastern gate, which on both sides have workshops of oriental industries and shops for selling traditional products and foods. On both sides of the street there are also several typical famous Damascene houses like Nizam Palace and Dar Anbar,…..etc houses built in the nineteenth century, the first is used as a restaurants while the second as a cultural palace. In the middle of the street there is a Roman arch built in the third century. This arch is the virtual gate of the old Christian quarter where there are several churches on both sides of the street most famous of which is the Greek Orthodox Church.

 5-Chapel of St Ananias: (daily: Summer 9am-1pm & 4-7pm,winter 9am-1pm & 3-6pm) St. Paul the apostle once preached in the synagogues of Damascus, and the old city contains a number of sights associated with his presence here to each the chapel, formerly a house where Paul was reputedly given shelter by Ananias after his famously blinding conversion. The chapel was originally built in a cave underground believably in the Dimas (prayer place) where St Ananias used to take refuge from the eyes of Roman soldiers. take the narrow lane that leads north just before the Bab Sharqi for about 150 m. On the way you will pass another grand Damascus residence Beit Naassan, featuring a finely decorated arcaded courtyard set around a fountain with an exceptionally decorated iwan. To continue on the trail of St Paul, retrace your steps and exit the old city by

6- Bab Sharqi: Constructed by the Roman emperor Septimus Sevirus, and completed by his son emperor Caracalla, in the second century AD. It is the oldest existing monument in Damascus and the only Roman gate here to preserve its original form, a triple gate way, the central one designed for wheeled traffic and ones either side, smaller, for pedestrians.

 7-The wall: It was written in the Index of Countries by historian Yakout al Hamwi that the wall of Damascus was the first wall ever built on earth after Noah’s flood. It was the first wall made by man with gates, a wall that protects the city, and at the same time, opens it to the world. The wall was built by the Romans and had eight main gates Bab Kaysan, Bab al Jabia, al Bab al Saghir, Bab Touma, Bab al Salam, Bab al Faraj, Bab al Faradis and Bab Sharqi where we are now

 8-St Paul’s Chapel: To continue on the trail of St paul, retrace your steps and exit the old city by Bab Sharqi, then turn right and walk for about 400m along the city walls until you come to the St Paul Chapel. This simple twentieth century chapel built into the wall is said to mark the spot where Paul was lowered in a basket to flee the city. To gain entry to the chapel you have to walk through the break in the wall next to it; once inside you will notice that the shrine incorporates the remains of a fairly unremarkable fourteenth -century Arab gateway, Bab Kaysan.

Now the church is the Diocese of the Roman Catholics. After this long tour it is time to have some rest and have lunch or some beverages in one of the several restaurants nearby which serve Syrian typical or western plates. After lunch we can take the Straight Street back to Souk Medhat Pasha: An important trade market built inside the walls since old times. It is an extension to the Straight Street towards the modern city, in parallel to Souk al Hamidiya. The souk has several side lanes that form other smaller bazaars. Contrary to other typical markets in Damascus, Souk Medhat Pasha has shops that deal with several kinds of goods: popular clothes, copper ware, home appliances, plastics, spices, perfumes, kelims and rugs, honey………etc. The souk was named after Damascus governor Medhat Pasha who ordered the souk to be restored and covered. People know it as the long souk, in reference to Via Recta. Historical monuments in the souk: There are several old constructions along the souk like the Memlouk Mosque of Hisham, and the Ottoman Khan al Dikka, Khan Jaqmaq, khan al Zeit and Khan Suleiman Pasha.

Haifaa Mafalani