Latakia’s al-Kamiliyah quarter walk: from the National Museum to Baghdad Street

Al-Kamiliyah lies west of Latakia’s old market, facing the port. Most of the stops on this walk date from the late Ottoman years and the French Mandate, and the route follows that period. It starts at the National Museum in the old Khan al-Dukhan, which served as the governor’s residence under the Mandate. Next come the Sheikh al-Batrani Mosque, which hides a Mamluk hall inside modern additions, the National Evangelical Church built in 1923–1924 and the Hamidiye Serail of 1905. The walk ends on Baghdad Street, once named Caillat Street, at the Latin Church consecrated in 1933. Five stops, about 1000 metres on foot, three hours.

The route

The museum is on Jerusalem Street, opposite the port gates. From outside it looks like an old house with a garden; follow the garden wall to find the entrance. The Sheikh al-Batrani Mosque is about 160 metres west of the museum. Its tall minaret and portico are new, and the broad garden in front is the part locals know best. From the mosque turn east: the National Evangelical Church is about 350 metres on. It sits low between tall apartment blocks and only appears when you turn the corner, so ask nearby for the exact spot. From the church walk south. The Hamidiye Serail is about 300 metres on, on 18 March Street, opposite the Spanish consulate. The last leg is about 200 metres, south to Baghdad Street, where the two-towered Latin Church faces the port.

Timing

Be at the museum at 09:00, while the garden is in shade. The building is a 16th-century Ottoman khan, a merchants’ inn named Khan al-Dukhan, the smoke khan, after its role in the tobacco trade. It became the governor’s residence under the French Mandate and opened as a museum in 1986. The halls were closed in 2011 and stayed shut for a long time, so ask at the gate. If they are open, six halls run from Ugarit to modern art and take an hour. If not, the sarcophagi, column capitals and two-storey arcaded courtyard in the garden fill half an hour. At 10:05, the Sheikh al-Batrani Mosque. Extensions in 2005 and 2015 wrapped the building on three sides, but a small hall with two cross vaults on heavy stone piers survives in the middle. Kültür Envanteri, a Turkish heritage database, dates it to the Mamluk period, most likely the 14th or 15th century. The plain pointed mihrab, the prayer niche in the south wall, is original. Who the sheikh was is disputed: the name is tied to Abu Bakr al-Batrani of al-Andalus, and some local accounts give the year 1277. Twenty minutes. At 10:35, the Evangelical Church. The marble plaque at the door reads 1923–1924 in Arabic and English. The congregation is older. Missionaries arrived in 1856, the first service was held in a rented house in 1859, and 100 of its 287 members were lost in the First World War. In 1921 Khalil Awad became its first Syrian-born pastor. Twenty minutes. At 11:05 you are opposite the Hamidiye Serail. Shukri Pasha al-Ayyubi built it in 1905; under the Mandate it became a police building, and it still is one. Ten minutes for the clock pediment over the entrance. At 11:20, the Latin Church. The Franciscans came to Latakia around 1733 and built their old church in 1829. The Italian architect Arrigoni designed the present building, consecrated on 19 March 1933. If the doors are open the hall wants half an hour. The walk ends around 11:50.

Take care

The museum’s hours and fee vary, so check before you go. The current state of the Sheikh al-Batrani Mosque is not confirmed; there is no entry during prayers, arms and legs must be covered, and women need a headscarf. The Hamidiye Serail is a working provincial police headquarters, closed inside and under repair at the end of 2025: look from the opposite pavement and ask the guard before taking photos. The Evangelical Church is most reliably open for the Sunday service; other days vary. The Latin Church is a working church, so dress with shoulders and knees covered. The Evangelical and Latin churches are free. Since the events on the coast in March 2025, conditions in the city centre can change, so check the current situation with local sources before you set out. Summer noons are hot and humid, so walk in the morning.