Seven stops from the Hamidiyya to the Umayyad Mosque

The whole walk is 600 metres. The institutions of medieval Damascus — hospital, bath, khan, palace, mosque — were built leaning on each other’s walls, and this tour shows that leaning step by step: no two stops are more than 150 metres apart. It is the content that tires you, not the distance; four of the seven buildings are visited inside.

The route

Enter the Hamidiyya from its western end and turn south before the souq runs out: the Nur al-Din Bimaristan sits in a side lane. From there two turns east bring you to the Nur al-Din Bath, then the domed courtyard of the As’ad Pasha Khan, and right behind it the Azm Palace. Leaving the palace, follow the mosque wall — the entrance of the Umayyad Mosque is minutes away. The tomb stands outside the mosque’s northern wall, on your way out of the courtyard.

Timing

Start in the morning as the souq opens: the Hamidiyya is empty and the points of light at their sharpest. The bimaristan and the palace keep opening hours; finish both before noon. Leave the mosque for last — the courtyard takes soft light towards late afternoon. Do not walk this on a Friday: around midday the courtyard belongs to prayer and the order breaks.

Take care

The four interiors set their hours and fees independently; confirm at each door. Women are given an abaya at the mosque entrance, and shoes come off in the prayer hall. The lanes are stone and slippery in places — soft soles help.