Damascus and around
Ancient and beautiful, Damascus doesn't fail to enchant. The Old City is a maze of creaky old buildings that slump over twisting, narrow alleyways and getting lost is a mandatory part of the experience. During the day the winding streets of this fascinating quarter are alive with the bustle of shoppers and sightseers bargaining over goods in the souqs, while in the evening, old men dust off their backgammon boards and set up camp outside on the pavement, engrossed in battle.
At the heart of it all is the Umayyad Mosque, its huge dome and minarets rising majestically above its surroundings. But the mosque's history, just like that of the city itself, stretches back far beyond Islamic times. This is the city where St Paul was baptized and began his preaching, where all the great trade routes of the world once converged in an ancient hub of commerce. Local legend even claims that this is the setting of the original Garden of Eden. It's no wonder that Damascus lays claim to the title of oldest continuously inhabited city in the world.
Look a little deeper behind this picturesque daydream of a city and you'll notice the vibrant modern progress as well. Tourism is booming here and behind nondescript doors in dusty alleys lie sumptuous palaces restored to their former glory as boutique hotels and restaurants. If you want to live out any Arabian Nights- style fairytale then this is the place to splash out and do it. Young, upwardly mobile Syrians flock to the pavement-terraces of European-style cafés that have brought cappuccino culture to the city. Outside the walls the sprawling metropolis of the new town may not be as pretty as the Old City but is host to the fabulous
National Museum, a must-see for anyone interested in Syria's history.
If you can pull yourself away from exploring the Old City's nooks and crannies, there are several day trips that can be comfortably made from here, including the cliff-side village of Maaloula, where they still speak the language of Christ and the black basalt ruins of Bosra to the south, one of Syria's best preserved Roman era sights.
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This is edited copy from Footprint Handbooks. For comprehensive details (incl address, tel no, directions, opening times and prices) please refer to book or individual chapter PDF
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