Souq al-Hamidiyah

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 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 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 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 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

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.