Half a day in Damascus: a second walk through Salihiyya

Salihiyya was founded by a family of refugees from Jerusalem, and the quarter still reads through the buildings they left. This walk links four of them in order: 1200 metres, all of it on the slope of Mount Qasioun. The line runs downhill, which is why it starts in Rukn al-Din. Walk it the other way and the same distance costs you twice the effort.

The route

Start on the square in front of the Rukniyya Madrasa; the fluted red domes name the building from a distance. Walk west into Salihiyya: the Hanabila Mosque is 600 metres on and presents no front to the street, its way in through a narrow gap. You may have to ask in the quarter to find the door. From there go 250 metres south-west into Shaykh Muhyi al-Din. What survives of the Umariyya Madrasa is its lower floor; the south front was cut away when the avenue was opened, and the scale of the loss shows there. The last stop is 250 metres on: the Ibn Arabi Mosque, at the centre of the same quarter.

Timing

Be in Rukn al-Din at 09:00. The slope is cool then and the square is empty. Reach Hanabila around 10:00, while the court is clear; the reused arch stones stand out in side light. Put Umariyya before noon — getting inside is not always possible, and if it is shut you follow the outer wall and are done in ten minutes. Enter the Ibn Arabi Mosque between 11:30 and 12:00: the court is falling into shade by then, and the tomb chamber is open during the day. If you arrive at the midday prayer, wait outside and go in after.

Take care

The lanes of Salihiyya are narrow, steep and slick underfoot; shoes with grip make the morning easier. Three of the four stops are in use for worship: shoulders and knees covered, headscarf for women. The tomb chamber of Ibn Arabi is down a stone stair and women use a separate entrance. Umariyya keeps no visiting hours, so plan on seeing it from outside. Summer middays make the slope hard work — start in the morning.