Half a day in Homs: from the museum to the foot of the citadel

The centre of Homs is walkable, but it breaks in one place. From the museum on the main street to the souq is 500 metres, and from the souq to the cathedral a few minutes; the fourth stop, at the foot of the citadel mound, is 1200 metres beyond that. This route does not hide the break. Three stops are walked, the last is reached by minibus or taxi. The whole thing is 2500 metres.

The route

Start at the museum on Shukri al-Quwatli Street. The building shows from the road and the sign above the entrance is in two languages. From here walk 500 metres southeast and you are in the souq. The al-Nuri Mosque stands between the Hasba and Qaysariyya souqs; the first thing you see from outside is the portal, a surface of black basalt laid course by course with white stone. Leave the mosque and carry on into the old city. The Forty Martyrs Cathedral sits in the same fabric a few minutes on, but its street front is modest and you may have to ask the way. Then the line breaks. The al-Atassi Mosque is at the foot of the citadel mound, 1200 metres southwest of here. You can walk it. In a summer midday, or on tired legs, a minibus or a taxi is the wiser call. The mosque stands in a wide garden with trees; go in by the main north entrance and leave by the east door, because that one faces the mound directly.

Timing

Be outside the museum at 09:30 — but ask before setting out whether it is open that day. The periods when Homs Museum receives visitors change from year to year, and if it is shut you have to start the day in the souq instead. Reach the al-Nuri Mosque around 10:30: it is open through the day, visits stop at prayer times, and the hour before the noon prayer is the easiest. The cathedral at 11:30. The hours vary and visiting stops during services; if you find the door shut, ask in the courtyard. Move on to the al-Atassi Mosque around 13:00. The garden gives shade in the afternoon, and if you are thinking of climbing to the citadel this mosque is the natural starting point.

Take care

There is no entry fee apart from the museum, and even that is set at the door. Both mosques are working places of worship: visits stop at prayer times, shoes come off, and women are asked to cover their hair. The cathedral works the same way and Sunday morning is not a visiting hour. Part of the old city was damaged in the war and repairs continue; some lanes may be closed, though the main souq line is open. The 1200-metre leg to the fourth stop has no shade and the ground rises. Homs is hot in summer and windy in winter; for this walk spring and autumn are far better.