Damascus

Short description of Damascus

Damascus (دمشق) is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the capital of Syria. The Umayyad Mosque stands at the heart of the walled old town on ground that carried a Roman temple and a cathedral before it, and its prayer hall keeps the shrine said to hold the head of John the Baptist. The covered Souk al-Hamidiyah leads to it past the Azm Palace and a maze of khans. Straight Street crosses the old city to the Christian quarter of Bab Touma. Mount Qasioun rises behind, and the view from it takes in the whole plain.

AI edited

Recommended length of stay

Travel seasons at a glance

Best time to visit: April – May or September – October

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

All highlights and sights

1. Umayyad Mosque
2. Souk al-Hamidiyah
3. Sayyidah Zaynab shrine
4. Old city lanes and Straight Street
5. Azm Palace
6. Sayyidah Ruqayya shrine
7. Bab Touma Christian quarter
8. National Museum of Damascus
9. Mount Qasioun viewpoint
10. Tomb of Saladin
11. Khan As'ad Pasha
12. Damascus Citadel
13. Tekkiye Mosque complex
14. Ice cream at Bakdash in the souk
15. Courtyard houses turned restaurants
16. Hammam Nour al-Din
17. Damascene brocade and inlay workshops
18. Saint Ananias Chapel

Ways to get there and away

Airports nearby:

• DAM Damascus International Airport (Damascus) · 25 km southeast(recommended)
• BEY Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport (Beirut) · 81 km northwest
• HFA Uri Michaeli Haifa International Airport (Haifa) · 139 km southwest

Nearest seaports:

• Haifa-Akko Ferry · 130 km southwest
• Banyas Port · 188 km north

Nearest railway station:

Nahariya (Rosh HaNikra🇮🇱) · 119 km southwest

Ports: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Map view

Distances

More travel destinations in Syria

• Aleppo
• Palmyra
• Bosra
• Krak des Chevaliers
• Hama
• Maaloula
• Tartus
• Latakia
• Apamea
• Dead Cities