Tishreen Park

This is the largest green space in Damascus: a park of more than 100 hectares, next to Umayyad Square and the Tishreen Palace. It was laid out at the end of 1969, and to make it the city’s well-known Kiwan gardens were cleared. Its official name today is Hadiqat al-Umawiyyin, Umayyads Park. Nobody in the city uses it; everybody says Tishreen.

Getting there

Come to Umayyad Square, get out at the edge and walk. The park is the square’s immediate neighbour, which means every route heading into western Damascus runs past it. There is another entrance on the Ard Kiwan side.

What to see

The park is trees rather than monuments: date palms, pines and clipped shrubs, with stone sculptures and walking paths between them. There is also a flagpole 107 metres tall, the highest in Syria, raised in 2010, on which the new Syrian flag was hoisted in 2025. The pole is visible from anywhere in the park and works well for finding your way.

What happened to the flower fair

The Damascus International Flower Fair was held in this park before the war and drew hundreds of thousands of visitors a year. The fair is gone; the park is still here. You will see that upkeep is not the same everywhere — some sections are tended, some paths cracked and grown over. Set your expectations accordingly.

What most people miss

In the hot months, spend the middle of the day here. Shade is not easy to find in central Damascus, and the park’s older trees are exactly what it is good for. Make it a planned part of the day rather than a break squeezed between monuments.