Damascus Shopping

Damascus Boulevard

Damascus Boulevard, situated near the Four Seasons Hotel is preparing to roll out the Red Carpet for Damascus.

This development is a joint venture between SSTI, Khorafi (Kuwait), The Ministry of Tourism and the Municipality developed in conjunction with the Four Seasons Hotel.

The mall layout, overlooking the park and views of the Four Seasons Hotel, incorporating a restored Mosque, sets the scene for relaxed outdoor shopping, strolling through stores and cafes in open air.

The official launch is set to take place during the month of July, introducing Damascus to the new address in the city just in time for summer. Current tenants trading include Costa Coffee, Sega Fredo, Simo sunglasses and D&M ladies fashions hosting some of the top international brands in the world.

The well known Rotana Café forms part of the restaurant/café offering at Damascus Boulevard. This unique store in the Middle East will attract the attention of the entire family, with a multi level design, indoor and outdoor dining areas, CD store and the latest in sound and light technology. This café will be talked about throughout the region and is set to change the face of entertainment in Damascus.

Damascus Boulevard caters for high end users with an acquired taste for luxury and the better things in life. Long summer evenings will be consumed by strolling through the Boulevard, relaxing at one of the cafes and indulging in exclusive fashion shopping.

A selected tenant mix will provide shoppers with fashion, jewelry, accessories and relaxed dining and entertainment opportunities. The mall is 100% let and tenants are putting the final touches to their stores.

It is time for something new in Damascus and this is where it is happening.

Damasquino Mall was opened in 2009,devided in 70 shopping units in 7 flours.
There are all you can find form cloth to furniture to food to electronics ..

Opening hours :
shops from 11am till 11pm

cafes and restaurants from : 09 am till 1 am

Yasser Kahwagi is a great artist and a top carpenter. His studio is next to Al Mamluka Hotel in Bab Tuma. The Studio stands in the courtyard of an old Damascus house and you can not see the great beds and closets of walnut inlayed with mother of pearl that he makes unless you come with an introduction so please use my name because he really deserves your attention.

What to buy: Do not go to any one else because he is the source. Mother of pearl in walnut beds with great head boards, closets to match. Doors to order

What to pay: He is super honest. what goes for $3000 a closet on the streets he sells for $1400
Beds around 900 US

What to buy: The main constituents of Aleppo soap are olive oil and laurel Oil. Handmade with no chemical. Sounds very good for skin. Actually it is.
Once you use this soap you will feel your skin get smooth and moist.
The color of outside of the soap is pale brown. Dry. Inside is green. For a long time I was thinking vivid green is better quality but shop keeper told me that the more the sope is aging the more the color is fading. If you are looking for better quality, you should by pale green.

Shops in Hamidiye souk are happy to show you sample and give you advice.
It's good for souvenier as it is not as heavy as it looks.

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The shops at the handicraft market inside the Tekea courtyard are local work. There are objects made of glass, porcelain, silver, wooden boxes inlaid with mother-of-pearl, clothes and scarves, in fact so many different things that you can choose from.

What to pay: As with most shopping in this part of the world, half the fun is the haggling. Some places will not reduce the price at all, but you can but try.

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Shopping opportunities in Damascus are endless. The souks are almost seductive in a way, it is difficult not to buy, buy, and buy.

The souks are not as clearly organised compared to Aleppo, but there are areas specialising in spices, sweets, textiles, clothes and jewellery.

Souvenir shops are scattered all over. There are also many, many shops outside of the souks all over the old city.

What to buy: Brocade
Silks
Wood inlaid furniture and other items
Arabic Sweets
Spices
Carpets and Rugs

What to pay: Haggle

Located on Midhat Pasha Street (Via Recta) in Old Damascus, Villa Moda has transformed an old khan (caravanserai) into this exquisite boutique of the highest end of European fashions. Villa Moda is a chain of luxury clothing department stores selling men's and women's casual fashion labels, such as Iceberg, D&G, etc., with branches in Kuwait and Dubai. The chain is owned by a Kuwaiti prince who has built himself a name in the fashion industry in the Middle East. This shop, however, only sells women's fashions.

What to buy: Prices are as expensive as Milano or Paris, so likely us visitors will buy nothing here. However, it is worth visiting the shop to see a successful rehabilitation of an old khan in Damascus, and if you're lucky you may observe some elegant Damascene bourgeoisie shopping one evening.

Al-Qaimariya Street runs east towards the Christian Quarter from the ruins of the Roman Gate just east of the Omayyad Mosque. It is a charming street, paved with cobblestones and contains numerous small shops that make and sell Syrian arts and crafts. I found the quality of the few shops in the street to be even better than the actual souk with a lot less shoppers, making it overall a pleasant experience. The street itself was created during the Hellenistic period to connect the Temple of Zeus/Haddad (later Jupiter) with the agora (later Forum) further east. The Romans built a colonnade along this street, much like that of Via Recta, and one or two of these columns can still be seen along the street.