Bakdash Ice Cream (Hameidiyyeh)

Damascus

The largest and best-known souq of Damascus, a covered market under an arched metal roof running about 600 m from beside the Citadel to the remains of the Temple of Jupiter in front of the Umayyad Mosque. It dates from the late Ottoman period and is named after Sultan Abdul Hamid; shops selling fabrics, clothes, souvenirs and sweets line it, among them the famous Bakdash ice-cream parlour.

Damascus

A hospital founded by Sultan Nur al-Din Zangi in 1154, one of the leading centres of medicine and medical teaching of its age, which stayed in use for centuries. It now houses the Museum of Medicine and Science in the Arab World and is known for the muqarnas vault over its entrance, a short walk from Souq al-Hamidiyah.

Damascus

A historic madrasa inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Hameidiyyeh quarter, about 100 m from Souq al-Hamidiyah. It stands on Souq Al Hamidiyah and dates from the Ayyubid period. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Damascus

A historic caravanserai inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Hameidiyyeh quarter, about 200 m from Souq al-Hamidiyah. It stands on Souq Al Hamidiyah and dates from the Ottoman period. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Damascus

Remains of the Roman Temple of Jupiter, raised in the first centuries AD on the site of an older Aramaean temple of the god Hadad. Its most striking survivor is the western gateway with its massive Corinthian columns, at the end of Souq al-Hamidiyah facing the Umayyad Mosque.

Damascus

A restaurant inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Hameidiyyeh quarter, about 200 m from the Umayyad Mosque. It stands on Souq Bab Al Bareed Lane. From here the markets, mosques and churches of the Old City are all within walking distance.