Featured places
Mosques, caravanserais, souks, museums — and why they are worth the walk.
10 Places
Hagia 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 · Construction date not verified — museum opened around 2020
St Jacob of Nisibis Syriac Orthodox Cathedral, Qamishli
Qamishli’s Syriac Orthodox cathedral: a mud-brick church in 1925, the present building in 1947, a centenary in 2025 and a service led by the patriarch in 2026.
Qamishli · 20th century · Syriac Orthodox
Mor Elias Syriac Orthodox Church, Amuda
Amuda’s Syriac Orthodox church opened in 1927-1928, stood shut for over 40 years and reopened in 2017. The feast held every 20 July, and what to know before going.
Qamishli · 20th century · Syriac Orthodox
St George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Latakia
The Greek Orthodox cathedral of Latakia and the city’s largest church, rebuilt with donations in 1936–1940. A marble plaque dated 1940 records the work.
Latakia · French Mandate (1936–1940); earlier church repaired 1723 and 1848
St Nicholas Church, Latakia
Latakia’s Greek Orthodox church on the goldsmiths’ souq, repaired in 1722 and merged with Mar Musa in 1845. A street now runs over part of the older building.
Latakia · Origin disputed (6th century suggested); repairs 1722 and 1845
St Michael Armenian Catholic Church, Kessab
An Armenian Catholic church in eastern Kessab, built in 1925 and opened in 1926. Five inscriptions in Armenian, Latin and Italian; it was burnt in 2014.
Latakia · French Mandate era, 1925; Armenian Catholic since 1946
Church of Saint John of Damascus
A small Greek Orthodox church in Bab Touma, 100 m from the Mariamite Cathedral, built after 1856 on basalt piers, with an iconostasis carved by Damascene craftsmen.
Damascus · Ottoman (after 1856)
Holy Cross Church, Damascus
A twin-towered Greek Orthodox church just outside Bab Touma, in Al-Qassaa, built between 1927 and 1932. Patriarch John X was enthroned here in February 2013.
Damascus · French Mandate (1927-1932)
Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace, Homs
The largest church in Homs Old City, a Melkite Greek Catholic cathedral built in 1970. Badly damaged by 2014, restored in 2016-2019, known for its dome and roof.
Homs · Modern — 1970, restored 2016-2019
Jesuit Monastery in Homs and the Grave of Frans van der Lugt
The Jesuit monastery in Bustan al-Diwan, Homs Old City, where Dutch priest Frans van der Lugt refused to leave during the siege, was killed in 2014 and is buried.
Homs · Modern (founding date not documented)