Half a day above Damascus: Marjeh, Salihiyya and Qasioun

You see the same city three times in one afternoon: from inside it, from its slope, and from above. The route starts in Marjeh Square, carries on through the lanes of Salihiyya at the foot of Qasioun, and ends on the ridge as the light goes. The total is close to 3 kilometres, but not all of it is walked; the slope is steep and a taxi takes part of it.

The route

Start in Marjeh Square, the modern centre of Damascus, 650 metres west of the citadel. The cast iron column in the middle went up in 1907, and what stands on top of it is a model of a mosque rather than a statue. Take a taxi uphill from here: 2700 metres, ten minutes. Get out on the main street in Salihiyya and turn one lane in — that is where the quarter really begins. You recognise the buildings by their roofs; the red domes give away the madrasas and the tombs. The lanes climb and twist. Keep working upward, and to hold your bearings keep Qasioun in front of you rather than behind. From the top edge of the quarter the viewpoint is 600 metres away: fifteen minutes on foot and steep, two minutes by car.

Timing

15:00 in Marjeh. 16:00 in Salihiyya; the climb is hard in the midday heat, which is why it belongs to the late afternoon. Give the quarter two hours. Be up on the ridge around 18:00 and wait for the sun to drop west: the buildings throw long shadows and the green of the Ghouta reads clearly at that hour. Then stay. Once it is dark the same spread comes back as light, and the dense weave of the old city shows itself in how tightly the lights sit. At dusk you get half of each — either wait for both views or choose one.

Take care

Salihiyya is a lived-in quarter: ask before you step into a courtyard or take a photograph. Most of the buildings are in use as mosques and tombs, and their hours follow the prayer times. The ridge is windy and the evening is cool, so take a layer even in summer. The first viewpoint you reach is the busiest; going a little further does not change the view but it thins the crowd. Plan the way back before you go up: agreeing a time with a driver is easier than looking for a car down in the dark.