What is Damascus famous for?
Damascus is best known for being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, for the Umayyad Mosque, and for the covered souqs of the old city. Say the name and what comes up is the gold-ground mosaics in the mosque courtyard, the shafts of light falling through the bullet holes in the Hamidiyya's tin roof, the shaded courtyard of the Azm Palace, and the whole city seen from Qasioun at dusk. The jasmine belongs to the name too; it covers the walls of the courtyard houses.
Highlights
- The mosaics in the Umayyad Mosque courtyard
- The bullet-pierced roof of Souk al-Hamidiyah
- The shaded courtyard of Azm Palace
What to see
Damascus · 15th centuryAl-Shadhbakiyya Mosque, Damascus
A Mamluk mosque of 1453 in Qanawat, Damascus: black-and-white banded stone, a muqarnas portal, a courtyard pool and the founder's grave, a block south of Tankiz.
Saidnaya · icon museumHagia Sophia Church and Icon Museum, Saidnaya
A church below Our Lady of Saidnaya with a small museum of 65 historic icons and about 25 manuscripts, a short walk from the monastery. Opening hours unconfirmed.
Damascus · 14th centuryMausoleum of Kujkun al-Mansuri, Damascus
A Mamluk tomb of 1312 in Salihiyya, Damascus, where the emir Kujkun lies. Its endowment inscription runs across three stone courses on the north wall.
Damascus · 13th centuryTomb of Ibn Salama al-Raqqi, Damascus
An Ayyubid tomb of 1213 in Salihiyya, Damascus: a 16-ribbed dome on a two-tier drum and a lintel inscription giving the date of death. West of the Al-Sahiba Madrasa.
- Damascus · 13th century
Mausoleum of Ibn al-Muqaddam (Talha Mosque), Damascus
An Ayyubid tomb of 1201 in Souq Saruja, Damascus, enclosed since 1993 by the Talha Mosque: a 12-ribbed dome and tall pointed arches. Near Dahdah Cemetery.
Damascus · 12th centuryFarrukh Shah and Bahramshah Mausoleums, Damascus
Two Ayyubid tombs side by side in Abu Rummaneh, Damascus: the dome of Saladin's nephew Farrukh Shah, now a prayer room, and his son's tomb, restored in 2005.
Where to eat
Damascus · summer eveningSyrian Street Corn (Boiled and Roasted Corn on the Cob)
On summer evenings in Damascus, corn comes boiled from a pot on a handcart; it was once roasted over charcoal. A trade on record for 120 years, sold in cups in Homs.
- Damascus · oven and grill
Sharhat ‘ala ‘Ajin (lamb slices on dough)
Pounded lamb slices and tail fat baked on soft yeasted dough until the fat soaks in. Not minced sfiha: an old Damascus grill-house dish that got pricier with lamb.
- Damascus · summer stall
Prickly Pear (Sabbara) in Damascus
From June to November, Damascus sells prickly pears at stalls lit at night: the vendor peels the spiny skin and hands you the fruit, a summer habit tied to Mezzeh.
Ready-made routes
- On foot · two and a half hours
Mamluk mosques of Qanawat: from al-Tawrizi to al-Tawusiyya
An 1800-metre walk west of the Damascus walls past four Mamluk mosques: Tankiz of 1317, al-Tawusiyya of 1382, al-Tawrizi of 1420 and al-Shadhbakiyya of 1453.
On foot · four hoursThrough Souq Saruja: from Jawdat al-Hashimi School to the Tomb of Ibn al-Muqaddam
A 2700-metre walk across Souq Saruja, north of the Damascus walls: the city's first state secondary school, a Mamluk bath, a leather souq, a cemetery, a 1201 tomb.
On foot · 3 hoursSouqs on both sides of the Citadel: Sarujiyya, Asruniyya and Khan al-Muradiyya
A half-day walk around the Citadel of Damascus: saddlers below its west wall, copper sellers facing its east wall, then Khan al-Muradiyya and the Umayyad Mosque.
Transparency
- How this was chosen
- The answer on this page is written by hand. The lists are built from published records tied to this city and grow on their own as records are added.
- Facts checked
- August 2026
- Last updated
- September 15, 2026