Tombs from Abu Rummaneh to Salihiyya: Farrukh Shah to Ibn Salama al-Raqqi

From modern Abu Rummaneh up to Salihiyya, on the lower slopes of Mount Qasioun, runs a walk of nearly three kilometres with six stops. At both ends and in the middle are dated tombs that the city has grown around. One is the dome of Farrukh Shah, Saladin’s nephew, who died in 1182. The Tomb of Ibn Salama al-Raqqi dates from 1213, and the emir Kujkun, buried in a third tomb, died in 1322. Sebki Park, in between, is the break. The Al-Jisr al-Abyad Mosque was founded as a madrasa in 1214, and al-Murshidiyya keeps its square minaret of 1252 on the street of madrasas. The route reads the Ayyubid centuries, Saladin’s dynasty, and the Mamluk centuries that followed between apartment blocks, schools and market stalls, and it climbs nearly 50 metres on the way.

The route

Start at the Farrukh Shah and Bahramshah Mausoleums, two red domes side by side on the northern edge of Abu Rummaneh. The tombs sit inside a modern development, and which gate leads into the plot has not been verified; ask on the spot. From here walk north into Shaalan: after 650 metres the old trees of Sebki Park begin. Carry on north from the park. After nearly 750 metres you come out on the al-Jisr al-Abyad square on Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Street; the small mosque with the pinkish dome is at its edge. The climb starts here. Head west up into the Afif part of Salihiyya: the Mausoleum of Kujkun al-Mansuri is opposite the Muhammad Adnan al-Sabbagh school, nearly 450 metres on. This is the southern end of the street of madrasas. Walk 160 metres north along it; the square stone minaret belongs to al-Murshidiyya. From there climb north-east into the Abu Jarash quarter. The last stop is on the corner of Al-Bara ibn Malik Street: the dome with 16 lobes is the Tomb of Ibn Salama al-Raqqi. This last leg is nearly 950 metres.

Timing

Start in the morning; the two stops at the Salihiyya end are easier to see before noon. Be in front of the Farrukh Shah tombs at 08:30. Whether the prayer room is open in the morning has not been verified; looking from outside at the two domes and at the inscription on the east wall of Farrukh Shah’s dome takes twenty minutes. At 09:00 take a short break in Sebki Park, half an hour at most. At 09:45, the Al-Jisr al-Abyad Mosque: in the morning, before the shade reaches the street, the fan-shaped niches on the dome drum fit into one frame from the far pavement. At 10:15 you are at Kujkun al-Mansuri; cross to the opposite pavement to read the endowment inscription that runs across three courses of stone on the north wall. At 10:35, al-Murshidiyya: the stalls on the Friday-market street are still sparse, and the square minaret is not yet hidden behind awnings. Reach the corner of the Tomb of Ibn Salama al-Raqqi at 11:00 and look for the inscription on the lintel of the north window. If the shop awnings are already out, look at the dome from the opposite corner. The walk ends around 11:30.

Take care

For most of the tombs on this route the current visiting status has not been verified: ask on the spot whether the Farrukh Shah, Kujkun and Ibn Salama tombs can be entered. Al-Murshidiyya is normally locked; the interior needs a permit from the Directorate-General of Antiquities, but the minaret and the tomb dome are visible from the street. Al-Jisr al-Abyad is a working mosque: do not go in during prayers, and keep shoulders and knees covered. The Farrukh Shah tombs are inside a modern development; do not walk into the plot without asking at the gate. After al-Jisr al-Abyad the road climbs towards the foot of Qasioun, nearly 50 metres in all, and on a summer midday this stretch is tiring. The street of madrasas is a market by day; take your time between the stalls.