Half a day in Damascus: west of the citadel to the Tawba Mosque

This walk begins beside the west wall of the Damascus citadel and ends at the north-west corner of the walled city. 1200 metres in all, four stops. The longest leg is 450 metres. Two things fix the order: the morning shade on the stone portal and the hour the hardware souk raises its shutters. Both point early.

The route

Start at the junction by the Sanjaqdar Mosque. The portal faces the street and its muqarnas reads best from the far pavement; the passage below it drops into the Hamidiyah souk. From there walk east to the southern foot of the citadel: the Manakhiliyah souk sits between the citadel and the Amara quarter, 400 metres on. Look up the moment you step under the vault — the painted cloth hangs from the dome. Coming out, turn north. The Mu’allaq Mosque is 350 metres ahead on the bank of the Barada, its entrance up a flight of stone steps. The last leg is 450 metres: cross into the Aqiba quarter north-west of Bab al-Faradis, where the Tawba Mosque stands.

Timing

Be at Sanjaqdar at 09:00. The portal is in shade then and the junction is still quiet; by midday the traffic keeps the facade out of any frame. Enter the souk around 09:45, while the shopkeepers are setting out their stock. Reach the Mu’allaq Mosque before noon: the black and white facade takes the light from the side, and the hours outside prayer are easier. Be at the Tawba Mosque by about 11:30, while the court is empty. All four are small buildings and half an hour each is enough.

Take care

Three of the stops are working mosques: cover shoulders and knees, and women need a headscarf. Traffic at the Sanjaqdar junction is heavy, so take your time crossing. Manakhiliyah sells no souvenirs — this is a tool market, not a place to shop. On the minaret of the Mu’allaq the upper stage does not match the shaft below it, and finding the break is the small game of the walk. The route works year round, apart from summer middays.