|
 | Damascus omayyad mosque Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 14 |  |
 | |  |  | omayyad mosque: see the Omayyad Mosque. Even... | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
see the Omayyad Mosque. Even though it is fast becoming a busy tourist site, it is still very impressive. My Muslim friends have described praying there as being something like an exhibit in a zoo though...and watch out for pickpockets and shoe snatchers! Another mosque often missed by tourists is the Sayyida Ruqqaya, just around the corner from the coffeehouses next to the Omayyad Mosque(just follow the hordes of elderly Iranian pilgrims). It is a fairly new mosque financed by the Iranian government, and contains the shrine of Ruqqaya, the grand-daughter of Hussain (correct me if this is wrong!). Women need to cover their hair(not with a plastic bag, as some tourists have tried!), and you will be given a brown cloak to wear inside. In the Omayyad Mosque, it is best to carry your shoes inside with you (you might have noticed the shoe stalls just outside - hmmm...wonder where they get them from?!!!) - don't put them on the floor though! In Sayyida Ruqqaya, there is a counter where you can swap your shoes for a ticket. Inside, men should follow the men, and women should follow the women, as the shrine area is segregated.
The food - I used to eat with the family I lived with, it was not the sort of stuff found on restaurant menus. Syrian food has a reputation of being rather boring and bland, but I suppose this must be Syrian restaurant food. Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
| | | | omayyad mosque: Damascus General Tips Tip (Untitled) | | | | | |
 | 1 | 2 |  |
|
|
on December 7, 2005
Damascus
on August 23, 2003
on November 8, 2002
on August 26, 2002
on August 26, 2002
