Damascus Old City UNESCO Heritage
Explore Damascus old city, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the ancient street called Straight, Roman temples, Byzantine churches and Islamic monuments form a layered urban history spanning 5,000 years.
- 1
Bab Touma Gate
Enter old Damascus through Bab Touma, the Gate of Thomas, the northeastern entrance to the ancient city in the Christian quarter, the Roman-era gate now marking the boundary between the modern city and the UNESCO-listed historic core.
- 2
Street Called Straight
Walk the Via Recta, the Straight Street mentioned in the Bible as the place where Paul stayed after his conversion, the ancient Roman road still traceable through the old city where the Apostle Paul was guided after his blinding vision on the road to Damascus.
- 3
Roman Arch of Triumph
See the Roman Arch of Triumph at the eastern end of the Straight Street, the 3rd century CE Roman monumental gateway that once marked the entrance to the colonnaded main street of Roman Damaskos, one of the finest Roman remains in Syria.
- 4
Azm Palace
Visit Azm Palace, the finest Ottoman palace in Damascus, its elaborate courtyard with fruit trees, fountains, and the reception rooms decorated with colored marble, painted ceilings, and the opulent taste of 18th century Syrian aristocracy.
- 5
Hammam Nur al-Din
Experience Hammam Nur al-Din, the finest of the Damascus bathhouses, operating since 1172 CE, where the domed chambers, star-shaped skylights, and steam baths maintain the bathing tradition established by the Crusader-era Zengid rulers.
- 6
Souq al-Hamidiyya
Walk through Souq al-Hamidiyya, the great covered market of Damascus, its 19th century iron roof pierced by bullet holes from French aircraft strafing in 1925, leading directly to the courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque at the end of the ancient Roman road.