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Damascus

Narrow lanes, wooden doors and covered souqs. A city best read on foot, slowly.

Status today

Updated weekly by our Damascus correspondent.

Every line carries who checked it and when

ElectricityNationwide: in August 2026 the Ministry of Energy said supply rose from about 8 to 20+ hours a day in some areas. Hours vary by city and neighbourhood; many hotels use generators or solar.Checked by: فريق التحرير (من مصدر منشور) · SourceLast updated: 21 October 2026

InternetMobile internet runs on the Syriatel and MTN networks, with 4G in cities. Speed and coverage vary outside cities. Plans and prices change; ask at an operator service centre.Checked by: فريق التحرير (من مصدر منشور) · SourceLast updated: 21 October 2026

RoadsDamascus links to Lebanon via Jdeidet Yabous (about 1.7 million travellers in H1 2026) and to Jordan via Nassib. Damascus International Airport has scheduled flights. We have not yet field-checked city traffic.Checked by: فريق التحرير (من مصدر منشور) · SourceLast updated: 21 October 2026

WeatherForecast for 2026-10-21: partly cloudy, high 26, low 18 degrees C. Rain chance 0%.Checked by: المدير · SourceLast updated: 21 October 2026

EventsInternational Building Exhibition at the Damascus fairground, 22–25 October 2026; 'Project Syria' 2–5 November; plus SANA's daily cultural agenda.Checked by: فريق التحرير (من مصدر منشور) · SourceLast updated: 21 October 2026

Every line carries who checked it and when. We don't make safety claims, only dated facts with a link to the official source.

Damascus’s architecture

Damascene ablaq

Alternating courses of black and white stone on the facades, houses opening onto a courtyard with a fountain and bitter-orange trees, and painted wooden ceilings known as ajami.

This page’s pattern and the arch of its photo frames come from this style.

Sights

70 places

Umayyad Mosque

The courtyard in late afternoon, when it quietens.

Souq al-Hamidiyah

Light falling through the holes in the iron roof.

Al-Buzuriyah

Spices, soap and sweets, all in one lane.

Qaymariyya & Bab Touma

Lanes of wooden doors and Damascene houses.

Azem Palace

A grand Damascene house around a courtyard.

Takiyya Sulaymaniyya

Ottoman domes beside the Barada.

Straight Street and Bab Sharqi

An ancient Roman street crossing the old city to its eastern gate.

Mount Qasioun

The whole city below you as the evening lights come on.

Old Damascus

The walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979: narrow lanes, Damascene courtyard houses with fountains, and souqs, mosques and churches side by side, mostly visited on foot.

Damascus Citadel

A fortress in the north-west corner of old Damascus, rebuilt by the Ayyubids in the 13th century. It stands at the entrance of Hamidiyah Souq, with the statue of Saladin in front.

Temple of Jupiter

Remains of the columns and gate of the Roman temple that stood on the site of the Umayyad Mosque, at the end of Hamidiyah Souq, with book and antique stalls beneath.

Sayyida Ruqayya Shrine

A mosque and shrine in the Amara quarter of old Damascus near the Umayyad Mosque, attributed to Ruqayya daughter of al-Husayn, with a gilded dome and mirrored interior.

Mausoleum of Saladin

The tomb of Sultan Saladin in a small garden against the north wall of the Umayyad Mosque, under a red dome. Inside are two cenotaphs: the original wooden one and a marble one given in the late Ottoman era.

Zahiriyah Library

The madrasa and tomb of Sultan al-Zahir Baybars, opposite the Adiliyah Madrasa near the Umayyad Mosque. It became a public library in the 19th century and is known for its carved stone portal.

Adiliyah Madrasa

A 13th-century Ayyubid madrasa holding the tomb of al-Adil, Saladin's brother, near the Umayyad Mosque opposite the Zahiriyah Library.

Khan Asad Pasha

The largest caravanserai in old Damascus, built in 1752 in Bzouriyeh Souq: a wide courtyard under domes in black-and-white stone, used today for exhibitions and events.

Midhat Pasha Souq

A covered market on the western part of Straight Street, opened in the late 19th century: fabrics, abayas, soap and food, with old caravanserais branching off it.

Al-Nawfara Café

One of the oldest cafés in Damascus, on the Nawfara steps behind the eastern gate of the Umayyad Mosque, long known for its storyteller sessions.

Bakdash Ice Cream

The famous Arabic ice cream shop in Hamidiyah Souq, founded in 1895. The ice cream is pounded with wooden pestles in front of customers and served with pistachios.

Nur al-Din Bimaristan

A hospital built by Nur al-Din Zangi in the 12th century, now the Museum of Arab Medicine and Science, south-west of the Umayyad Mosque, known for its muqarnas entrance dome.

Nuriyya Madrasa

The madrasa and tomb of Sultan Nur al-Din Zangi in the tailors' souq near the Umayyad Mosque, under a 12th-century muqarnas dome.

Hammam Nur al-Din

The famous bathhouse of Bzouriyeh Souq, dating from the 12th century and still working: a large domed reception hall with a fountain, then the cold, warm and hot rooms.

Hammam al-Malik al-Zahir

A historic bathhouse near the Zahiriyah Library in old Damascus, attributed to the era of al-Zahir Baybars and still open to visitors.

Khan Jaqmaq

A Mamluk caravanserai in old Damascus near Hamidiyah Souq, where merchants and caravans once stayed.

Chapel of Ananias

A small chapel below street level in Bab Touma, believed to be the house of Saint Ananias who baptised Paul. Reached by stone steps, it is one of the oldest Christian places of worship in Damascus.

Khan al-Harir

A 16th-century Ottoman caravanserai in the souqs of old Damascus, named after the silk trade, still surrounded by fabric shops.

Maktab Anbar

A large 19th-century Damascene house near Straight Street that became one of the first public secondary schools in Damascus. Several courtyards and rich decoration; today a cultural centre.

Beit Nizam

One of the largest traditional Damascene houses, in Mi'dhanat al-Shahm near Straight Street, with wide courtyards, fountains and iwans in carved wood and stone.

Bab al-Saghir

A gate in the southern wall of old Damascus, also called Bab al-Shaghour, with the Shaghour quarter and Bab al-Saghir cemetery beyond it.

Bab al-Saghir Cemetery

One of the oldest cemeteries in Damascus, outside Bab al-Saghir south of the old city, with shrines of companions of the Prophet and of Ahl al-Bayt that draw visitors.

Bab al-Jabiya

The western gate of old Damascus at the end of Straight Street and Midhat Pasha Souq, near the Sinaniyya Mosque.

Bab al-Faradis

A gate in the northern wall of old Damascus, also called Bab al-Amara as it opens onto the Amara quarter.

Bab al-Salam

A gate in the northern wall of old Damascus between Bab Touma and Bab al-Faradis, one of the best preserved, in a quiet area near al-Qaimariya.

Bab al-Faraj

A gate in the northern wall of old Damascus near the citadel, also called Bab al-Manakhliyya after the nearby souq.

Chapel of Saint Paul (Bab Kisan)

Bab Kisan in the south-east wall of Damascus, closed and turned into a chapel marking Saint Paul's escape from the city in a basket lowered from the wall.

Cathedral of St George

A cathedral in the Bab Touma quarter of old Damascus, one of the main churches of the old Christian quarter.

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition

The Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral in Haret al-Zeitoun in old Damascus, near Straight Street.

Church of the Holy Cross

A large Greek Orthodox church in al-Qassa'a outside Bab Touma, one of the best-known churches of modern Damascus.

Lazarist Monastery

A monastery and church in Bab Touma, linked to the schools the Lazarist Fathers founded in the city.

National Evangelical Church

An Evangelical church in old Damascus with a simple stone façade.

Al-Aqsab Mosque

A Mamluk mosque north of old Damascus, also called al-Zeinabiyya, with a striking stone minaret.

Mariamite Cathedral

Seat of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, on Straight Street near Bab Sharqi. One of the oldest churches in Damascus, rebuilt in the 19th century.

Sinaniyya Mosque

A late 16th-century Ottoman mosque at Bab al-Jabiya, known for its minaret clad in green tiles.

Darwish Pasha Mosque

A 16th-century Ottoman mosque on the road south of Bab al-Jabiya, in ablaq stone with Damascene tiles inside.

Murad Pasha Mosque (al-Naqshbandi)

An Ottoman mosque north of old Damascus, also called al-Naqshbandi, with its dome, minaret and ablaq stone.

Sibaiyah Madrasa

A late Mamluk madrasa and mosque near Bab al-Jabiya, with a striped stone façade and minaret.

Yalbugha Mosque

A mosque on the Barada near Marjeh Square, named after the Mamluk mosque that stood on the same site.

Tankiz Mosque

A 14th-century Mamluk mosque on al-Nasr Street near the Hejaz station, built by Emir Tankiz, governor of Damascus.

Sulaymaniyya Madrasa (Handicrafts Souq)

A madrasa attached to the Tekkiye whose rooms now host the handicrafts souq: copper, blown glass, brocade and wood mosaic.

National Museum of Damascus

Syria's largest museum, next to the Tekkiye. Its entrance is the Umayyad gateway of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, moved stone by stone, with collections from prehistory to the Islamic era.

Hejaz Railway Station

The early 20th-century Hejaz railway station, with a stone façade and a decorated wooden ceiling inside, in the heart of modern Damascus on al-Nasr Street.

Marjeh Square

Martyrs' Square in central Damascus, centred on a monument to the Damascus-Medina telegraph line, surrounded by hotels, popular restaurants and shops.

Al-Abed Building

An early 20th-century building on Marjeh Square, with a long stone façade and arches, one of the landmarks of its era in Damascus.

Umayyad Square

The largest square in Damascus and its main traffic hub, centred on the Damascus Sword monument, with the Opera House and National Library around it.

Damascus Sword Monument

The monument at the centre of Umayyad Square, inspired by the Damascene sword and a symbol of the modern city.

Damascus Opera House

The largest cultural centre in Damascus, on Umayyad Square, opened in 2004 and hosting concerts and theatre.

National Library

The Syrian National Library near Umayyad Square, with large collections of books and manuscripts.

Damascus University

Syria's oldest university, its historic building near Victoria Bridge and Umayyad Square.

Seven Fountains Square

A round square in central Damascus with a large fountain, surrounded by the Central Bank and government offices.

Yusuf al-Azma Square

A square in the commercial heart of Damascus on al-Salihiyya Street, named after war minister Yusuf al-Azma, surrounded by shops and cafés.

Souq Sarouja

An old quarter outside the walls north of old Damascus, once called 'Little Istanbul' for its Ottoman houses, with old lanes, houses and mosques near Marjeh Square.

Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Mosque

The mosque and tomb of Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi in al-Salihiyya on Mount Qasioun, built by Sultan Selim I in the 16th century with its tekke, surrounded by a busy popular market.

Rukniyah Madrasa

An Ayyubid madrasa and tomb in the Rukn al-Din quarter on Mount Qasioun, under a ribbed dome.

October War Panorama

A war museum in Damascus with a circular panorama painting of the 1973 war and a display of military vehicles.

Unknown Soldier Memorial

A memorial on the slope of Mount Qasioun with a large arch and dome, overlooking Damascus.

Statue of Saladin

A bronze statue of Saladin on horseback in front of Damascus Citadel and the entrance of Hamidiyah Souq, erected in 1993.

Barada River

The river of Damascus that fed its Ghouta, flowing down from Zabadani and Ain al-Fijeh and through the city near the Tekkiye and Marjeh Square.

Victoria Bridge

A bridge over the Barada in central Damascus, a well-known spot between Marjeh Square and the Tekkiye.

Tishreen Park

The largest park in Damascus, between Umayyad Square and al-Mezzeh, with green lawns and walking paths, and seasonal exhibitions.

Sayyida Zaynab Shrine

A mosque and shrine with a gilded dome in the town of Sayyida Zaynab south of Damascus, about 10 km from the old city, visited by pilgrims from Syria and abroad.

From the people of Damascus