Damascus Off The Beaten Path

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Syria saw fierce fighting in both World Wars.Those of you interested in this aspect of the country's history might like to find their way to the Commonwealth... 

 MM212 Says:  Located in Salihiyya Quarter, this early Ottoman mosque was built in the 16th century in a mix of Ottoman, Mamluke and Syrian styles. Attached to the mosque is... 

 MM212 Says:  For a different experience when visiting Damascus, jump in a taxi one afternoon and ask the driver to take you to Abu Roummaneh. It is a high end residential... 

 sanluipal Says:  I had no ideia how big was Damascus until visit Jebel Qassioun, the "mountain" right behind Damascus. We went in a taxi and stopped near a coffee shop. It`s... 

 iwys Says:  If you walk through one of the old gateways leading off Souq al-Hamidyya or Straight Street, you will probably find yourself in a small courtyard of one of the... 

 MM212 Says:  There are many destinations outside of Damascus that one could (must) visit when in Damascus. The options are plenty, but some can be done in a day, others... 

 MM212 Says:  Located at the foothills of Mount Qassioun, the Salihiyya neighbourhood was built in the 12th century to house refugees escaping the Crusader invasion of... 

 MalenaN Says:  Seidnayya is situated only 26 km north of Damascus and can easily be visited on a daytrip using public transport, also including Ma'alula. Buses to Seidnayya... 

 MalenaN Says:  Maalula is situated about 50 km north of Damascus and can easily be visited on a daytrip, also including Seidnayya.It is a charming little village in a narrow... 

 siaki68 Says:  Shahba, or Philippopolis, is an ancient Roman city, founded by Philip the Arab. Constructions started in 244AD, but stopped five years later after Philip’s... 

 siaki68 Says:  One of the reasons Maalula is famous, is because it is one of the last places where people still speak Aramaic, the language of Christ. It is a beautiful, small... 

 siaki68 Says:  In this small town stands the beautiful Greek Orthodox Convent of Our Lady, founded by the Byzantine emperor Justinian in the 6th century. According to the... 

 siaki68 Says:  Well, it’s not exactly “off the beaten path”, since Bosra is a significant destination for everybody visiting Syria. This is not strange; Bosra has one of the... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  It is possible to visit Baalbek in Lebanon in a day trip from Damascus. If you can spend the night in Baalbek so much the better, but it is possible to get... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  This area of Damascus, just outside the walls of the old city, north of the footbridge over ath-Thawra, is a mix of a few grand old houses, now mostly very... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Sitting somewhat incongruously between the treasures of the National Museum and the grace of the Tekkiye Mosque, the garden surrounding the Army Museum is full... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Bab Sharqi is the only gate in the Old City walls that retains any of its Roman structure, a fragment of the arch. There are two columns standing inside the... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  A tiny stone chapel is known as the Church of Ananias - the man who was sent to Saul (who became Saint Paul) to restore his sight after he was blinded on the... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Once thousands of Jews lived in Damascus, it's estimated that today there are fewer than 100. Two synagogues survive to service this tiny community. While they... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Where the Omayyed Mosque stands is known to have been a temple site from earliest antiquity. Nothing remains to be seen now of the earliest pagan temples that... 

 TheWanderingCamel Says:  Those who have read of the life of Jane Digby, the Victorian English noblewoman who married a Bedouin sheik, lived in Damascus and Palmyra and is buried in... 

 MalenaN Says:  Bosra is a small town, near the Jordanian border, with one of the best preserved Roman theatres. The theatre is made of black basalt and an Arab citadel has... 

 global_explorer Says:  Outside Damascus lie Maalula, one of the few really pretty villages in Syria. the name means entrance. The village crawl up a hillside and have partially steep...