معالم دمشق التاريخية والأثرية .. كتاب في ربوع سورية

Damascus historical and archaeological landmarks:

There is no city that includes in its folds manifestations that tell its history as Damascus does. The tourist and visitor who goes to Damascus to get acquainted with it must search for its living past, which has many aspects of it until now, and therefore we find it the first thing that he searches for is its famous market (Al-Hamidiyah) and its great Umayyad mosque.. But these two teachers are not the only ones in Damascus; Damascus is full of many historical and archaeological monuments, the most prominent of which are:

1- Old Damascus itself:

It is located within the wall and includes neighborhoods. Bab Touma, Al-Qaymariya, Al-Amarah Al-Shaghour, Bab Sharqi, Al-Amin neighborhood, and occupies an area of ​​approximately 6 square meters. The urban fabric of old Damascus is made up of residential houses of an Arabic style, their primary materials are either mud or stones and their roofs are wood, with wide central spaces adorned with greenery and ponds of water, and they either have an above-ground floor, or they include a ground floor and the streets are within the very neighborhoods, to find the above-ground floor On one side of a street that almost touches an above-ground floor on the other side of the street, which makes many parts of the streets shaded. The interior of the houses is very beautiful, reflecting the poor appearance of the exterior. even narrow

2. Old Damascus Wall and its Gates:

It is a stone wall built in the Roman era, and it has seven major gates: Bab Sharqi, Bab al-Jabiyah, Bab Kisan, Bab al-Saghir, Bab Tom, Bab al-Salam, and Bab al-Faradis.
Toma. The wall was restored during the reign of Nur al-Din al-Zanki (the twelfth century AD), and a new wall was built on a part of the northern side in the early thirteenth century AD in the area known as Bayn al-Shurin. Today, the wall no longer exists except in the part that extends between Bab Touma and Bab Kisan (at the airport roundabout). The eastern door of Damascus is still present with its loftiness and originality.

3- Mosques and churches:

Damascus includes many ancient mosques and churches. Among its most important and famous mosques, we mention: The Umayyad Mosque, which is located at the end of the Al-Hamidiya market in the place where the Hadad Al-Aramean temple (ninth century BC) was located, on whose ruins the Damascene Jupiter Temple was built, part of which was converted in the Byzantine era to the Church of John the Baptist. Its construction dates back to the period (705-715 AD) during the reign of the Umayyad caliph Al-Walid bin Abd al-Malik. The mosque is distinguished by its size, height, three minarets, four domes, and six doors. At its eastern end is the tomb of the Prophet Yahya, Saint John the Baptist. During its long history, the mosque was subjected to many disasters, which were followed by restoration of what was destroyed. Facing the western door of the Umayyad Mosque, the famous Arc de Triomphe stands above the Jupiter columns from the third century AD, as the Roman temple of the Damascene god Jupiter was built to the east of that. Among other mosques, we mention: Darwish Pasha Mosque (Al-Darwishiyah), Sinan Pasha Mosque, Al-Takiyeh Sulaymaniyah Mosque, and the Sayyidah Ruqayyah Mosque in. Al-Amarah, Al-Taurizi Mosque...etc. alive

Among the ancient churches, we mention Marpolis Church near Bab Kisan inside Old Damascus, Hanania Church near Bab Sharqi, and Maryamiya Church.
Near the Trabel Arch in Straight Street, it is one of the oldest Damascene churches

And the most beautiful.

4- Damascus Citadel: A huge castle at the beginning of Al-Hamidiya market in the northwest corner of the Old Damascus Wall. Its construction dates back to the Ayyubid era in 1078 AD. In 1202 AD, it was destroyed and then rebuilt. It also began to be uncovered and restored again since the early eighties of this century. The castle has three gates, the northern gate, the southern gate, and the eastern gate. Its dimensions are about 220 x 160 m.

E - Ancient palaces: Damascus includes many ancient palaces that constitute architectural masterpieces, the most important of which is the Al-Azem Palace (Dar Asaad Pasha Al-Azem) located directly south of the Umayyad Mosque, whose construction dates back to the middle of the eighteenth century, and today it is a museum of folk arts and traditions. And the house of Khaled Al-Azem, the house of Al-Sebaei, the house of Jabri, the house of Nizam, and the palace of Al-Naasan.

6- The tomb of Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi and its location next to the Umayyad Mosque at its door

North.

The old markets There are no more than the old markets in the city of Damascus and one of the most important and famous; Al-Hamidiyah Market, whose construction dates back to the period between 1780-1884 AD, and extends from west to east with a length of approximately 600 meters, starting from the beginning of the old castle to the Triumphal Arch located opposite the western door of the Umayyad Mosque at the beginning of Al-Maskiya Street, and its width is about 15 meters, and the height of its arched metal ceiling borders It is ten meters long and hundreds of shops are lined along its sides, mostly selling ready-made clothes and various fabrics, in addition to some shops dedicated to popular traditional industries, and selling the famous ice cream.. and so on. Many sub-markets branch out from this market
Some of them extend south towards the Midhat Pasha market, and the first of these secondary markets is the Al-Arwam market, and the last of them is the silk market, and others extend north as in; Sabouq Nasri, Al-Asrounieh Market, Al-Borsa Market, Mardam Bey Market, Al-Jarabat Market, and Bab Al-Barid Market.

In addition to Al-Hamidiya market, there is Midhat Pasha market (the long market), which occupies the western part of the straight Roman street, and is characterized by being covered with an arched metal curtain, and it extends from Jabiya Gate to Al-Bazuriyeh Market. Its construction dates back to 1878 AD (during the reign of the governor of Damascus, Midhat Pasha). Textile shops, various fabrics, abayas, keffiyehs, and headpieces are scattered on both sides. . and so on. The third well-known market is Al-Buzuriyya Market, which connects the Midhat Pasha market with the Umayyad Mosque. Its shops are filled with various types of spices, nuts and sweets, and at its northern end lies Al-Azm Palace. In it, the bath of Nur al-Din al-Shahid and Khan Asaad Pasha, whose age dates back to the year 1752 AD, are located. Among the famous old markets, we also mention; Al-Darwishiyah Market, Al-Atiq Market, Meat Market, Al-Nahhasin Market, Al-Haddadin Market, Bab Srijeh Market, Al-Manakhliyya Market, Bab Al-Jabiya Market, Bab Musalla Market, Bab Touma Market, Khaled Bin Al-Walid Market, and the Friday Market in the famous market neighborhood, as well as the handicrafts market in the Sulaymaniyah Hospice building, which displays different types of Handicrafts made of glass, pottery, wood, ivory, shells, jewelry and Damascene brocade. Debt. And from Sheikh Mohi

In addition to the above, there are many modern street markets. As in the Salhiya Street Market, Al-Hamra Street Market, Al-Abed Street Market, Al-Sagha Al-Hadith Market in Al-Marjah, and Al-Khaja Al-Hadith Market at the beginning of Al-Thawra Street