Sabaa Bahrat Square

Sabaa Bahrat means seven pools, and the name describes the water at the centre. The French administration laid it out in 1925. A small dome at its middle held seven jets. Its name then was different: it was built in memory of Gaston Descarpentries, a French captain who died in Damascus, and it was called Captain Descarpentries Square.

How the name changed

After independence the monument was removed and the square took its present name. The seven pools kept the name; the monument did not stay — the history of the square sits in those two clauses. In 1938 the Bireh mosque was built beside it.

Getting there

A few minutes on foot from Yusuf al-Azma Square. Several main roads branch off here, Baghdad Street among them. It is a junction as much as a square. Walking is the easy way; arriving by car, stopping anywhere on the ring around it is hard.

What to see

The surroundings are a run of ministries and official buildings, the best known of them the Central Bank of Syria. The square itself is small and sits in traffic. It is a place you cross rather than sit in, and when the jets are running the water is the only event at its centre.

What most people miss

Cross it thinking about the name. A square raised in memory of a French officer lost its monument after independence and was left with the name of its water. How a city renames a square without demolishing it is answered here.