Damascus: the Cradle of Civilization

Damascus, the oldest inhabited city in the world, can not reveal its treasures to its visitor in a week, or in a month, or even in a year, because it is the show case of a long history, and the safe of the old civilizations that existed on its land since man settled it. Archaeological discoveries proved, until this day, the existence of civilizations nine thousand years old, and we don’t know what future excavations will bring to us. The visitor of Damascus, whether for a short, or a long time, is keen to see all the wonders of these civilizations that mingle with the tissue of the modern city. Therefore Syria Times find it useful to make a plan that will help him visit as much as possible of Damascus in the shortest time possible.

Although those who want to explore the monuments and historical sites of Damascus thoroughly need long months, we intended, by this plan, to facilitate the visit of the most prominent sites in short visits, a week or ten days, so that we can introduce our beautiful city and its people to them. Those who can stay longer and are interested in knowing the details, can specify as much time as they have to go deeper into the history of splendid Damascus. In the plan, we saw it useful to see the old city in two days, the modern city in two other days, and tourist and historical places in the suburbs and summer resorts, which are not less important than those down town, in three days. One day for the summer resorts of Zabadani, and one day for the gems of history, namely Saidnaya and Maaloula, and the seventh day for the Qalamoun region, al Nabk and Qara.

Day one: Old Damascus inside the wall – Part one.

Old Damascus is rather small in area, about one square kilometer, may be a little more than that, but it keeps underground the spirit of more than 50 centuries of time. Therefore, this small area, has several  historical layers with deep roots in the past: old alleys, fabulous bazaars, wonderful palaces and houses, attractive coffee shops, rich museums, unique worship places; mosques and churches, eight gates on the Roman wall, Turkish baths and Ottoman domed khans still pulsating with life. To see old Damascus we can leave the hotel toward the old city to begin with the north western corner of the wall of the citadel of Damascus. 1-The Citadel: Nobody knows exactly when the first fort was built in the place until the Seleucids built a citadel in the eleventh century AD. In 1205 the Ayyoubid Sultan al Malik al Aadel demolished the Seleucid fort and built a new citadel that later became a military headquarters for the Memlouk, Ottoman and finally the French armies. The citadel is one of the most prominent military fortifications in the world. The General Directorate of Museums and Antiquities in Syria could retain control on the citadel in 1984, made a plan to restore it, and finally changed it into a center for cultural activities, musical festivals, fine arts exhibitions and lectures. The institute of Applied Arts was placed in it. Cross the main Iron Gate just next to the citadel and go forward to the east along the wall.

Day one: Old Damascus inside the wall – Part one.

After you walk for about 100 m you find the main mosque of the citadel to the right;

 1- Mosque of Abi al Dardaa, one of the companions of the prophet Mohammad. Just opposite the mosque to the left there is the Botanic Garden, a garden made with the cooperation of the Swiss government to contain samples of the plants and flowers found in the basin of Damascus. Go forward to the east, then go right to find the eastern wall of the citadel to your right and al Asrounieh bazaar in front of you, the street to your left leads to several old monuments:

2-  Bab al Faraj,one of the gates of Damascus and al Madrasa al Adiliya, an Ayyoubid school built in 1215 AD, al Madrasa al Zahiriya, another madrasa built in 1277AD, now used as a national library bearing the same name. The Memlouk Sultan Baibars is buried in it. Go to the right and you will find al Madrasa al Jaqmaqiya, built by the Memlouks in 1419 AD, now used as the 2-Epigraphy Museum (Open daily except Tuesday 08.00am- 14.00pm) containing examples of Arab inscriptions and calligraphy written on everything from basalt to doeskin, copies of the letters of the prophet Mohammad to the rulers of Egypt and Abyssinia, and samples of pens, pencils and inkpots. To see a modern Islamic mosque you can have a short leg to the nearby

3–Mosque of Ruqaya, granddaughter of the prophet

Mohammad, originally an 18th century mosque previously known as Mausoleum of Ruqaya. From the mosque you can go back southward to the red domed building which houses the Tomb of Saladin (daily 10am-5pm, same ticket as for the Umayyad Mosque).

4- The Umayyad Mosque, in the heart of the old city, originally a bazaar. The Romans changed it into a temple, and later into a John the Baptist Church. When Arabs took Damascus in 636 AD, caliph al Walid negotiated with the Christian community the ceding of the site in return to four other church sites in the city including that of the present day Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Caliph al Walid, in 705, ordered a grand mosque to be built in the site to be, undoubtedly, one of early Islam magnificent monuments standing on a site which has been held sacred for at least three millennia. The mosque is the first, aChristian pontiff visits, Pope John Paul II in 2001 during his visit to Damascus. After touring the mosque you can leave it from the western gate, or the southern one where you find yourself in one of the remarkable souks:

5-al Bazuriya: One of the largest roofed bazaars of Old Damascus inside the wall. First built in 1075,may be earlier, and restored in 1895-1905. In the souk there are 95 shops that sell all kinds of seeds, spices, perfumes cookies, dried fruits and toffees. Al Bazuriya has several old monuments the oldest of which is Hammam Noureddin . four khans ,most important of which is Kan Asaad Pasha, Just opposite are three other khans: al Amoud, al Saboun and al Sadranieh, used now as store houses. At the eastern corner of al Bazouriye there is a relatively peaceful square and the entrance to the

6-Azem Palace (Beit alAzem), built between 1749 and 1752 by the Ottoman governor of Damascus, Assad Pasha al Azem. The palace’s most notable feature is its central courtyard which, with a cool pond and shady citrus trees, offers seductive respite from the bustle of the souk outside. As was typical, the building itself is arranged into three separate quarters: The Salamlek which was used for guests, visitors and official purposes, the Haramlek, or family apartments, and the khadamlek or servants quarters. The palace now is used as a Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions (daily except Tuesday 8.30am – 4pm,closed Friday 12.30-2.30 pm ). The palace has more than twenty rooms adorned with wax dummies illustrating various aspects of traditional Arab culture -marriage, pilgrimage, school, and coffee shop. Architecturally, the most interesting part of the palace is the complex of the private hammam, a claustrophobic succession of small rooms and narrow corridors lead you to the main steam room in the heart of the building. Part of the palace is used as show workshops of traditional industries, namely wood works, copper works and glass works ….etc.

7-Khan Assad Pasha: built in 1752 by Assad Pasha al Azem, the same Ottoman governor who built the Azem Palace. The khan was lately restored and is being used as a gallery, and planned to be a museum of natural history. It is a masterpiece of Islamic architecture distinguished for its domes and colored stones.

8-Hammam Noureddin (daily 8.00am – 11.00pm men only) a Turkish bath still functioning built by Noureddin Zengi 1170AD. It was used as a soap factory in the early twentieth century before being restored and reverted to its original function as a bathhouse in 1980. After this long tour, it is time to enter one of the several restaurants spread in the region to respond to the appeals of our stomachs. Some of these restaurants are typical Damascene houses converted into restaurants, distinguished with their traditional oriental foods, ambience and good service. After having food we can go forward to one of the leading souks in Damascus:

9-Souk al Hamidiya: A famous historical souk 600 m long and 15 m wide in old Damascus, built in two stages: the first in 1780 and the second in 1883 during the tenure of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid II. In 1884 the souk was completely covered with a tin roof to protect it from the hazards of nature and from fires. Start your visit from al Miskiya square ,just in front of the Umayyad Mosque, to the end of the souk near the citadel of Damascus. With this, our tour of this day is finished, and it is time to go to the hotel to have some rest and prepare for the evening activity.

Haifaa Mafalani