The most important monument in Damascus (دمشق), and perhaps the entire country, is the magnificent Umayyad Mosque (الجامع الاموي). No single historic site symbolizes the rich and varied cultural heritage of Syria as does this remarkable mosque. It has served as a place of worship continuously for several millennia, a holy place for over a thousand years even prior to the arrival of Islam. While …
Located in the northwest corner of the old city, the Damascus Citadel (قلعة دمشق) was first fortified under Turkmen warlord Aziz Bin Awaq al-Khawarzami (ازيز بن أوق الخوارزمي) in 1076. It was not completed during his reign, but under subsequent ruler Abu Said Taj al-Dawleh Tatash al-Seljuqi (أبو سعيد تاج الدولة تتش السلجوقي). The citadel was expanded and modified several times in the following centuries, …
While little remains of the Ayyubid-era al-Madrasa al-Aziziyeh (المدرسة العزيزية), the notable survival is the burial chamber of Salah al-Din Yousef Bin Ayoub (صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب). The Tomb of Salah al-Din (قبر صلاح الدين) was completed in 1196 during the brief reign of his son, al-Afdal Bin Salah al-Din (الأفضل بن صلاح الدين), over Damascus (دمشق). The surrounding religious school, of which only …
al-Madrasa al-Aadiliyeh (المدرسة العادلية) is an Ayyubid-era religious school named after al-Aadil Seif al-Din Abu Bakr Bin Ayoub (العادل سيف الدين أبو بكر بن أيوب), a prominent figure throughout the early Ayyubid period and a younger brother of Salah al-Din Yousef Bin Ayoub (صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب). Construction of the religious school began during the late Seljuq period (1172-1173), but it was not completed …
The old city of Damascus (دمشق) was once surrounded by extensive fortifications that included walls, towers, and gates in addition to the more imposing Damascus Citadel (قلعة دمشق). Much of these defenses survive intact, often concealed within markets and incorporated into residential buildings. While the city’s fortifications were originally constructed during the Roman period, what remains today largely dates to Seljuq and Ayyubid era reconstructions. …
Bab al-Saghir Cemetery (مقبرة الباب الصغير), located south of the old city, is the most noteworthy of the many historic cemeteries in Damascus (دمشق). This cemetery has been in use since the beginning of the Umayyad period, and several tombs are attributed to prominent figures in the early history of Islam. The attribution of these tombs is largely by popular tradition, often unsupported by any …
al-Hanabaleh Mosque (جامع الحنابلة), in the northern district of al-Salhiyeh (الصالحية), is the oldest surviving mosque in Damascus (دمشق) after the Umayyad Mosque (الجامع الاموي). It was the first monument to be constructed in Damascus (دمشق) during the Ayyubid period, built between 1202 and 1213 for the followers of the Hanbali school of Islam. The rather austere exterior of the mosque hides an attractive courtyard …
al-Shamiyeh Mosque (جامع الشامية), often referred to as Madrasa al-Shamiyeh (مدرسة الشامية), is an Ayyubid-era mosque and religious school constructed between 1187 and 1191 northwest of the old city of Damascus (دمشق). The tombs of several prominent figures of the Ayyubid period are located here and in the surrounding area, part of the city that was originally developed by the Ayyubids in the late 12th …
al-Qasab Mosque (جامع القصب), also known as al-Aqsab Mosque (جامع الاقصاب), is named after the sugar cane which once grew along the Barada River (نهر بردى) in this area north of Bab al-Salam (باب السلام) just outside the old city of Damascus (دمشق). The mosque was originally constructed in 1234 under the rule of al-Sultan al-Malak al-Ashraf Moussa Ibn al-Ayoubi (الملك الأشرف موسى الأيوبي السلطان) …
al-Toubeh Mosque (جامع التوبة) is an Ayyubid-era mosque located north of the old city of Damascus (دمشق) in the neighborhood of al-Aqibeh (العقيبة). The mosque was originally a caravanserai built during the Fatimid period known as Khan al-Zanjari (خان الزنجاري). al-Sultan al-Malak al-Ashraf Moussa Ibn al-Ayoubi (الملك الأشرف موسى الأيوبي السلطان) ordered the conversion to a mosque as Khan al-Zanjari (خان الزنجاري) had gained a …
