Dar al-Hadith al-Ashrafiyya

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 long-established ice-cream parlour inside Souq al-Hamidiyah in the Old City, a family business for more than a century that has become a symbol of the city. It still makes its ice cream the traditional way.

Damascus

A fortified citadel in the north-west corner of the Old City, first built in 1076 and rebuilt between 1203 and 1216 by al-Adil, Saladin's brother. It served as a prison until the 1980s and has since been restored in stages; the entrance of Souq al-Hamidiyah runs along its walls.

Damascus

A historic gate inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Amara Jowaniyyeh quarter, about 200 m from the Citadel of Damascus. It stands on Bein Assourain Lane. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Damascus

An Ayyubid madrasa begun under Nur al-Din Zangi and completed in the time of al-Adil, Saladin's brother, whose tomb it holds. It faces al-Zahiriyya Madrasa near the Umayyad Mosque.

Damascus

A shrine inside the Old City of Damascus, in the Hameidiyyeh quarter, about 100 m from the Citadel of Damascus. It stands on Qalet Demashq Street. The Old City of Damascus has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.