Mamluk mosques of Qanawat: from al-Tawrizi to al-Tawusiyya

West of the walls of Damascus, a walk of 1800 metres runs north from Qabr Atika to Bahsa with four stops. All four buildings are Mamluk, from the dynasty that ruled Syria from Cairo until the Ottomans. Their foundation dates spread from 1317 to 1453: the Tankiz Mosque in 1317, the Yunusiyya khanqah that is now al-Tawusiyya in 1382, the Al-Tawrizi Mosque in 1420 and al-Shadhbakiyya in 1453. None of them is inside the old city. They stand among apartment blocks and busy streets, and the route puts them in walking order rather than date order. Black and white stone bands, muqarnas portals and domes repeat from stop to stop.

The route

Start at the Al-Tawrizi Mosque, on the Ras al-Shuwayka and Bab Srija line south-west of Marjeh Square. The lanes are narrow, and it is easier to ask for the minaret, which stands apart from the mosque, than for the mosque itself. From here walk north into Qanawat. After nearly 900 metres, on the corner of Fakhri al-Baroudi Street, the banded corner and red dome of al-Shadhbakiyya come into view. One block north are An-Nasr Street and the Tankiz Mosque. The building facing the street dates from 1951; the minaret on the north side, banded in stone and brick, is Mamluk. From Tankiz head north to Port Said Street. After nearly 550 metres, the tall doorway facing Bahsa belongs to al-Tawusiyya. The small door on King Fuad Street is modern; walk round to the Bahsa side for the facade.

Timing

Three of the mosques are open at prayer times and may be shut in between, so put this walk straight after the midday prayer. That prayer moves with the season; shift the times below to match it. Be at the Al-Tawrizi Mosque at 13:00: the congregation is leaving, the door is still open, and in the afternoon side light falls on the tile panels. Half an hour is enough; do not leave without seeing the founder’s tomb. At 13:45 you are at al-Shadhbakiyya. Its current visiting status has not been verified. If the door is shut, the muqarnas portal and the two stone roundels on the corner can be seen from the street; the portal faces east and is in shade by the afternoon. Twenty minutes. Tankiz at 14:15: the courtyard empties after the midday prayer. Go into the tomb on the right of the first entrance for the mosaic mihrab. At 15:00 you are in front of al-Tawusiyya. The facade faces the sun in the afternoon; give twenty minutes to the muqarnas over the door and to the two rows of 16 niches on the dome drum. The walk ends around 15:30. On Friday the midday prayer runs longer and the mosques fill up; choose another day.

Take care

All four buildings are working mosques: do not go in during prayers, and keep shoulders and knees covered. At al-Tawrizi women need a headscarf, and none is lent at the door. The muqarnas over the al-Tawusiyya doorway is in poor condition; look at it from beside it, not from underneath. Visiting hours at al-Shadhbakiyya and al-Tawrizi have not been verified; if you find the door shut, ask people in the street. The route crosses An-Nasr Street and Port Said Street, both open to traffic; wait for a crossing.