Bab al-Faradis

Damascus

A shrine holding the tomb of Ruqayya, daughter of al-Husayn ibn Ali, and one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in Damascus, in the al-Amara quarter north-east of the Umayyad Mosque. The present mosque around it was built in the 1980s and 1990s and is known for its coloured tilework and mirror decoration.

Damascus

The river of Damascus, rising in the Anti-Lebanon mountains near al-Zabadani and entering the city through the Rabweh gorge; for centuries its branches watered the Ghouta orchards and the city's houses and fountains. In the centre it flows past the Takiyya Sulaymaniyya and along the north side of the Old City walls.

Damascus

A museum of Arabic calligraphy in al-Jaqmaqiyya, a Mamluk madrasa built between 1418 and 1421 next to the Umayyad Mosque, whose façade is known for its coloured stonework and carved inscriptions. It shows manuscripts, calligraphic panels and the tools of calligraphers.

Damascus

A historic mosque inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Amara Baraniyyeh quarter, about 300 m from the Umayyad Mosque. It stands on King Faisal Street. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Damascus

A historic bathhouse inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Amara Jowaniyyeh quarter, about 200 m from the Umayyad Mosque. It stands on As Sabe' Tawale' Lane. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Damascus

The graves of Ottoman airmen who died in 1914 during a pioneering flight from Istanbul to Cairo. They were buried beside the Mausoleum of Saladin near the Umayyad Mosque.