Old Damascus

Overview

The walled old city of Damascus is a dense quarter of covered markets, courtyard houses, mosques, churches, madrasas and workshops, still fully inhabited and worked in today.

Why visit

• A UNESCO-listed old city that is still lived in
• Layers of Roman, Umayyad, Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman building
• Craft workshops, coffee houses and Damascene food

Architecture

A Roman street grid overlaid by Islamic-era religious and commercial architecture, with Ottoman courtyard houses built around fountains and citrus trees.

Historical layers

Periods recorded for this place in the DAHAB database. Open any period for its full history.

1. Aramaeanc. 1200–700 BCE↓
2. Romanc. 64 BCE–395 CE↓
3. Byzantinec. 395–636 CE↓
4. Umayyad661–750 CE↓
5. Ayyubid1171–1260 CE↓
6. Mamluk1260–1516 CE↓
7. Ottoman1516–1918 CE

Gallery