Bab Touma

At the northeastern corner of the old city, where the wall opens onto a square. Roman Damascus had seven gates, each tied to a planet, and Bab Touma was one of them. The stonework standing today is not Roman: the gate was rebuilt in the thirteenth century under the Ayyubids and has come down in that form.

Getting there

Twenty minutes on foot east from the Umayyad Mosque, through the lanes north of Straight Street. The square in front of the gate carries traffic and is the clearest meeting point at this end of the city.

How long it takes

Twenty minutes. The gate itself is a single structure; the time goes into the quarter behind it.

What is there

An arched passage with a heavy stone tower on either side. The wall line runs into the street fabric on both sides of the gate; to see how far it goes you have to walk west. Behind the gate the Bab Touma quarter begins at once: churches, courtyard houses and narrow lanes.

What most people miss

Walk through, then turn and look at the inner face. Repairs have flattened the outer elevation, while the older courses and the traces of the arch read more clearly from inside.