Half a day in Damascus: from the spice souq to the edge of Midan

The south of Damascus is a single axis. It runs 1200 metres from the spice souq below the Umayyad Mosque to the edge of Midan, four stops, and all four sit one lane off the tourist route. You start among herb sellers, carry on through a neighbourhood market, pass a cemetery mosque, and finish where the hajj caravan used to gather.

The route

Enter Al-Buzuriyah from its north end, level with the Azm Palace; the souq runs south under an arched metal roof along its whole length. Where it meets the Midhat Pasha Souq, cross and keep going south: 410 metres on, you are in the lanes of Shaghur. The spine of the quarter is Amin Street and the shops follow that line. From Shaghur, 360 metres south brings you to the wall of the Bab al-Saghir cemetery. The Jarrah Mosque stands on its west side; there is no sign, so take the cemetery wall as your reference. The last leg is 420 metres, southwest from the cemetery towards Suwayqa. The Al-Naqshabandi Mosque sits where the road bends right, in courses of black and white stone.

Timing

Be in Al-Buzuriyah at 09:00. The herb shops open early and the souq carries its smell best then; towards noon the crowd thickens and the narrow lane gets hard to walk. Enter Shaghur around 10:30. The quarter has started its day by then, and the overhanging upper floors throw their shade into the street at that hour. Twenty minutes is enough for the Jarrah Mosque, but allow an hour if you walk the cemetery as well. Reaching Al-Naqshabandi in the afternoon is better: the ring of domed cells around the courtyard reads once the light comes from the west. Do not shift the order on a Friday — both mosques fill for the noon prayer and the prayer hall is closed to you.

Take care

Three stops on this route are places of worship and visitation: cover shoulders and knees, and women need a headscarf. The Bab al-Saghir cemetery takes a steady stream of visitors and fills up when groups arrive; do not cut in front of people while photographing. The lanes of Shaghur are lived in, so keep your eyes out of the courtyards. In the souq things are weighed before a price is named, so say how much you want first. Al-Buzuriyah stays cool under its roof at midday, but there is no shade on the Midan side.