Damascus travel guide

Earliest stages

The setting of Damascus is the key to its historical importance, and that a permanent settlement should develop here is no surprise. The Barada river, flowing down from the Anti-Lebanon mountains to the northeast, waters the Ghouta plain below and has created a large, fertile oasis on the edge of an otherwise harsh and inhospitable desert stretching south and east. Over the centuries, Damascus has continually found itself at an important strategic and commercial crossroads.

It is precisely because Damascus has been inhabited continuously throughout its long history that there is very little physical evidence of the earliest stages of its settlement. Each successive civilization has built over the foundations of the one which proceeded it. Excavations in the Old City and at Tel as-Salihiye to the east have nevertheless revealed evidence of settlement during the fourth and third millenniums BC respectively. Our knowledge of the early history of the city, however, comes primarily from fragmentary literary sources.

Amongst the large numbers of tablets discovered at Mari , some, which date back to 2500 BC, make reference to Damascus (then known as Dimashqa), while slightly later tablets from Ebla make reference to Dimaski, although its exact relationship with these important city-states is far from clear.

Ancient empires

From around 2000 BC Damascus was settled by the Amorites, one of the many waves of Semitic peoples to migrate from the desert interior of the Arabian peninsula and settle in the fertile lands further north. Some 500 years later, the city came under Egyptian influence during the rule of Thutmosis III, as recorded in the Amarna tablets. In turn it then came under the control of the other great regional power of the time, the Hittites.

Sometime after 1200 BC the Aramaeans established themselves in the city, and from the 10th to eighth centuries BC Aram Damascus was the seat of an important Aramaean kingdom. It was during this period that the Temple of Haddad was built on the site of what is now the Umayyad Mosque. The Aramaeans clashed repeatedly with the biblical kingdoms of Israel and Judah, limiting their northward expansion, as chronicled at length in the Old Testament. At the same time, the Aramaeans came under repeated attack from the growing Assyrian Empire in northern Mesopotamia, and finally in 732 BC the city was devastated by the Assyrian king, Tiglath Pileser III. The Babylonians followed in 572 BC, led by King Nebuchadnezzar, and the Achaemenid Persians in 539 BC, under King Cyrus.

Greek and Roman eras

Following the defeat of the Persians by the Greeks at the battle of Issus, one of Alexander the Great’s generals, Parmenion, captured Damascus in 332 BC and it was under subsequent Greek rule that a planned grid pattern of development was first applied to the city.

With the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, Damascus then found itself caught for two centuries between the competing ambitions of the Seleucid and Ptolemid Empires. However, decline in the influence of both left the door open to the Nabateans who, under Aretas III (84-56 BC), extended their empire to include Damascus.

The first Roman conquest of Syria came as early as 64 BC, but Damascus at that point remained of peripheral importance, with Nabatean control over what was effectively a semi-independent city-state continuing until as late as AD 54. Thus events such as the conversion of St Paul in the early years of Christianity took place before direct Roman control had been established. However, in the first century AD the Romans took direct control of Damascus and from that point onwards it grew in importance. In AD 117 the Emperor Hadrian declared it a metropolis, and in AD 222 Severus raised its status to that of a colony. Trade across what was now a relatively stable Roman Empire flourished, and Damascus reaped the rewards of being an important centre at the junction of major caravan routes.

There was a characteristically Roman flurry of building activity during this period. A castrum on the site of the citadel was established. The city walls were strengthened and gates were installed. The Temple of Haddad was expanded and embellished to become the Temple of Jupiter. The Via Recta (Straight Street) was widened and colonnaded to create the decumanus maximus and aqueducts were built; adding to the system of irrigation first developed by the Aramaeans to harness the waters of the Barada.

Byzantine Damascus

During the Byzantine era (from the fourth century AD) Christianity became firmly established in the city. The Temple of Jupiter was converted into a church dedicated to St John the Baptist and Damascus became the seat of a bishopric, second only to the patriarchate in Antioch. However, the Byzantine Empire found itself under constant threat from the Sassanid Persians and eventually in AD 612 Damascus was briefly occupied by them, before being regained by Heraclius in AD 628.

The Islamic empire’s capital

This brief incursion by the Sassanids was the prelude to a far more permanent transition brought about by the expansion of the Islamic Empire of the nomadic tribes of the Arabian peninsula following the death of their Prophet Muhammad. Led by Khalid Ibn al-Walid, the Muslim army first took Damascus in AD 635, withdrawing to defeat Heraclius in the decisive battle of Yarmouk before occupying the city permanently in AD 636. Under this new regime, Damascus was at first a relatively unimportant outpost of an Islamic Empire whose political centre was Medina. However, in AD 661 the governor of Damascus, Mu’awiya, assumed the title of Caliph, initiating the Umayyad Dynasty and making Damascus the new capital of the Islamic Empire. For Syria, and particularly Damascus, this resulted in a great cultural flowering, most eloquently and enduringly expressed in the architecture of the Umayyad Mosque.

Umayyad rule lasted for nearly a hundred years until in AD 750 a new dynasty, that of the Abbasids, was established. Damascus was replaced by Baghdad as the capital of the Islamic Empire, and fell into decline. The unity of the now huge Islamic Empire began to give way to competing spheres of influence centred on Baghdad, Cairo, Mosul and Aleppo, with Damascus caught between them. From the ninth century it came under the control of the Tulunids, Ikshidids and Fatimids of Egypt, before passing in 1076 to the Seljuk Turks who had by then expanded from their capital at Isfahan to take control of both Aleppo and Mosul.

Seljuk rule was in an advanced state of decline by the time the Crusaders arrived in the 12th century. However, despite coming under attack three times in the first half of the century, Damascus was never taken by the Crusaders. Nur ud-Din, the Zengid ruler of Aleppo, assumed control of the city in 1154, and was followed by Salah ud-Din in 1174, who by that time had overthrown the Fatimids of Egypt to establish the Ayyubid Dynasty. Together, Nur ud-Din and Salah ud-Din led the Muslim resistance to the Crusaders and Damascus flourished once again as an important political centre.

The first Mongol invasion of 1260 brought devastation to Damascus and an abrupt end to Ayyubid rule. However the Mamluk Dynasty of Egypt quickly came to the rescue, defeating the Mongols and establishing their rule in Syria. Damascus flourished yet again, particularly under the rule of Baibars (1260-1277) and later under the governorship of Tengiz (1312-1339), becoming a second capital after Cairo and witnessing another burst of building activity. The Mongol threat continued, however, and after repelling an attack in 1299-1300, the city was largely destroyed by the Mongol leader Tamerlane in 1400. Although Mamluk rule was restored, the city never fully recovered under them.

Ottoman era

In 1516 the Ottoman Turks, led by Selim I, took Damascus and incorporated Syria into their huge empire. The Ottoman’s control and protection of the Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) helped reinforce their claim to the Caliphate, and throughout their 400 years of rule Damascus was of central importance as the last great staging post on the annual pilgrimage. Inevitably for such a large empire, the city’s governors enjoyed a large degree of independence. Indeed, the first Pasha of Damascus, Al-Ghazali, declared himself independent of Ottoman rule and the city suffered considerable damage when it was retaken by the armies of Suleiman I in 1521.

Later pashas exercised their independence more cautiously. Amongst the Azem family, who between themselves ruled for most of the 18th century, Darwish Pasha, Murad Pasha and most notably Assad Pasha were competent governors who did much to improve the city. However, corruption and stagnation began to set in and when Muhammad Ali, the Pasha of Cairo, rose against Ottoman rule in 1805, Damascus soon followed suit and control of the city passed to Muhammad Ali’s son Ibrahim Pasha in 1832. His rule lasted until 1840 and saw a brief burst of civic improvements but the return to direct Ottoman rule also saw a return to stagnation. In 1860, clashes between Christian and Druze minorities in Lebanon spread to Damascus and culminated in a massacre of Christians living in the city, the Christians having maintained a minimal presence here since the Byzantine era. Midhat Pasha brought further civic improvements towards the end of the 19th century, and at the same time Damascus, with its large concentration of intellectuals, became a centre of Arab nationalism.

Modern Damascus

Today Damascus is a sprawling metropolis with all the trappings of a modern capital and Syria’s major commercial and government hub. Like all large cities in the region it struggles with the problems of traffic, pollution and coping with an ever-expanding population caused by rural to urban drift in the last 50 years. This has been exacerbated recently by the huge number of Iraqi refugees who have flooded into Damascus since the Iraq war.

Despite its problems, Damascus today is a vibrant, outward-looking city. Tourism is booming here and more and more derelict buildings in the Old City are being restored so that they can enjoy a new life as upmarket hotels and restaurants. There is a new push towards better urban planning to help ease the problems of over-population and an ambitious project for a Damascus metro line, helping to ease congestion on the city streets, is planned to be up and running by 2016. Damascenes are looking towards the future and the future, in this most ancient of cities, looks bright.

Banks

Banks generally stay open later than the rest of the country in Damascus. Main branches (such as the Commercial Bank of Syria – CBS branches stated below) are generally open Sat-Thu 0830-2000 and Fri 0830-1400. Most banks in the city now have ATMs that are linked to the international networks. Be aware that cards on the maestro network don’t work in some ATMs. In the New City, banks are clustered around Hejaz Sq and Yousef-al-Azmeh Sq, including branches of CBS which deal with foreign exchange and have ATMs. If your maestro card doesn’t work in the CBS ATM, try the Bank of Trade and Industry ATM on Hejaz Sq. They generally work in this one. In the Old City there is a Bank of Syria and Overseas on Mouawela St that has an ATM that takes all foreign cards and an ATM opposite the Maristan Nur ud-Din Museum that is linked to the foreign networks.

Cultural centres

Take your passport with you if you want to be admitted to any of the centres. The American Cultural Centre, 87 Ata al-Ayoubi St, http://damascus.usembassy.gov/ resources.html, is closed to the public until further notice (check the website for up-to-date details on this). British Council, off Maisaloun St, T011-331 0631, http://www.britishcouncil.org/ syria, Sat-Thu 0900-2000, is geared mostly to providing English-language courses, though they organize the odd event. The library here has a limited collection of books, mostly focusing on Britain. Upstairs on the 3rd floor there is a cafeteria with a selection of British newspapers on offer. Centre Culturel Français, Bahsa, T011-231 6181, www.ccf- damas.org, Mon-Sat 0900-2100, by far the most active of the cultural centres in Damascus, is housed in a large modern building complete with its own theatre/ cinema and exhibition hall. A programme of events, published every 3 months, is available from the centre listing the varied programme of films, theatre, music, exhibitions, etc they organize. Goethe Institute, 8 Adnan Malki St, T011-371 9435, http://www.goethe.de/INS/sy/dam/deindex.html, has a programme of events, published bi-monthly (in German), which lists films, lectures, music, exhibitions, etc.

Embassies and consulates

In an emergency citizens of New Zealand and Ireland should use the UK embassy and Australian citizens should use the Canadian embassy.

If your passport is lost or stolen, your embassy should be able to help you obtain a replacement. However, except in the case of extreme emergencies, most foreign embassies are very reluctant to do anything else for their nationals.

Belgium, Al-Salaam St, No 10 (2nd and 3rd floor), Mezzeh east, T011-612 2189, http://www.diplomatie.be/damascus. Canada, Lot 12, Mezzeh Highway, T011-611 6692, http://www.syria.gc.ca. Egypt, El-Galaa St, Abu Roumaneh, T011-333 2932. France, Ata al-Ayoubi St, Al-Afif BP 769, T011-339 0200, consulat@ambafrance-sy.org. Germany, Abdul Manen Al-Riad St, T011-332 3800, http://www.deutschebotschaft-damaskus.org. Italy, al-Ayoubi St, BP 2216, T011-333 2621, http://www.ambdamasco.esteri.it. Japan, 18 Al-Mihdi Bin Baraka St, Abu Roumaneh, T011-333 8273. Jordan, Mezze Eastern Villas, Western Tarablus St, Building 27, T011-613 6260. Netherlands, Al-Jalaa St, Im Tello, Abu Roumaneh, T011-333 6871. Spain, Shafi St, Mezzeh East, T011-613 2900. Turkey, 58 Ziad Bin Abi Sufian St, Abu Roumaneh, T011-333 1411. UK, Kotob Building, 11 Muhammad Kurd Ali St, Malki, T011-373 9241, http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk/syria. USA, 2 Al-Mansour St, Abu Roumaneh, T011-339 1444, http://www.usembassy.state.gov.

Internet

There are dozens of internet cafés dotted around the city. Some ask to see your passport to register and some don’t. Damascus Internet is located inside the main post office on Said al-Jabri St. Internet Zone is just of Souq Sarouja St, conveniently placed for people staying in the budget hotels. In the Old City Mission Net has friendly service, super-fast connections and new computers and is on Straight St, while Dot Net is on Bab Touma St.

Medical services

You won’t have any problems finding a pharmacy in Damascus, they’re everywhere. There are some excellently stocked large pharmacies in the new town along Port Said St. Damascus has several good private hospitals with high standards of medical care. Shami Hospital Ibrahim Hanano St, by junction with Jawaher Lal Nahro St, T011-373 5094 has English-speaking doctors and also includes a dental clinic.

Post

The Main Post Office is on Said al-Jabri St, Sat-Thu 0800-1900, Fri 0900-1400. The EMS (Express Mail Service) office is around the corner. It’s better to send parcels by EMS rather than by regular mail. DHL has a branch nearby, just off Omar Ben Abi Rabeea St, Sat-Thu 0800-2000, Fri 0900-1400.

Telephone

There are numerous Easycomm card-phones dotted all over Damascus, with phonecards on sale from nearby shops, kiosks, juice bars and the like; just ask around. Finding a card-phone may be no problem, but the challenge is to find one which is not right next to a hopelessly busy/noisy junction or main road.

Visa extensions and travel permits

For visa extensions head to the Passport and Immigration Office on Furat St, between Martyr’s Sq and Said al-Jabri St, Thu-Sat 0800-1400. You need 3 passport photos, a letter from your hotel, and must return to collect your passport the next day. This is one of the busiest places to extend your visa, and as well as having to come back the next day, expect to have to wait around quite a bit. Moreover, according to many travellers, the staff here are none too friendly or helpful. If you can time it right, it is far better to get this done elsewhere in Syria. The office at Aleppo is fairly efficient (same-day service), or go for a smaller town such as Tartus, Hama or Lattakia. You should be able to get a 2-month visa extension here. For Quneitra Permits you have to go to the Ministry of the Interior just to the north of Adnan Malki Sq, in Salihiye, Sun-Thu 0800-1400. You will need your passport, details of your car registration number and (if you’ve hired a driver), his name and ID number. Permits are free and valid for same day or the next day but if you’ve hired a driver it’s best to go on the same day so that you can show his ID number.

Damascus is a relatively compact city, and for the most part walking is the best way to get around (in the Old City it is really the only way). Taxis are plentiful and cheap (S£30-40 for trips within the city centre) and therefore a convenient way to get between districts, or to/from the bus and train stations. These days, most have working meters; but if not, agree on a fare before setting off. The microbuses (’meecro’ or ‘servees’), which zip all over the city, are difficult to get to grips with unless you can read Arabic, though certain routes can be useful.

One of the main terminals for microbuses is under Assad Bridge. There are services from here to the Harasta Pullman bus station as well as to Abbasseen and Mezzeh. Journeys cost S£5-10. Bear in mind that they cannot really accommodate large items of luggage, although you can always try paying for two seats.

Damascus is Syria’s major transport hub with frequent connections stretching to all major centres in the country by public transport. There are also bus services to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey from here. Microbuses ply the routes between the city and the small surrounding towns (such as Maaloula), which the bigger buses don’t service.

Damascus International Airport is roughly 30 km to the southeast of the city centre and handles the vast majority of international flights arriving in Syria as well as frequent domestic flights to Aleppo and Lattakia and a few per week to Qamishle and Deir ez-Zor. There is a taxi-stand inside the airport terminal. A taxi to the city centre will cost about S£700, but if you arrive late at night you may be charged more.

The city has two major bus stations. The Harasta Pullman Bus Station services all destinations to the north of Damascus including transport from Turkey, while the Al- Samariyeh Bus Station has connections to all the destinations to the south, including Jordan and Lebanon. Both terminals are out of the city centre. A taxi from either to the centre should cost around S£90.

All trains arrive into Kadem Station. There are good connections to Aleppo and daily services from Lattakia, Tartus, Deir-ez Zor, Hassakeh and Qameshli. There is a friendly and helpful information desk here. A taxi from the station into the city centre will cost about S£70.

Damascus

Air

Damascus International Airport, T011-453 0201 (flight enquiries T167), is 25 km to the southeast of the city centre and is Syria’s main hub for international flights. A taxi from the city centre costs approximately S£700 but be prepared to pay more than this late at night. The airport bus unfortunately only runs from Mezzeh, not into the centre of town, so isn’t practical for getting there. The airport has a branch of CBS bank for foreign exchange and ATM, car rental firm offices, a hotel reservations desk, a tourist information office, and an extremely cheap duty-free shop.

Most of the airline offices are based on Said al-Jabri St, around Hejaz Sq, including Syrian Air, T011-168 (for central reservations) and T011-169 (airport), or opposite the Cham Palace on Maisaloun St.

Domestic

Distances between towns in Syria are generally small enough that you don’t need to fly. If you do decide to take a domestic flight, Syrian Air has 2-3 flights daily to Aleppo (1 hr, S£1742); 2-3 flights daily (except on Tue) to Lattakia (1 hr, S£1242); 5 flights per week to Qamishle (1½ hrs, S£2242); and 2 per week to Deir ez-Zor (1½ hrs, S£1992).

International

Syrian Air operate direct international flights to Amsterdam, Athens, Cairo, Dubai, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Munich, Rome and Vienna, among others. Other carriers that fly out of Damascus include BMI (T011-223 9800), Emirates (T011-231 3452), Egypt Air (T011-223 3093), Gulf Air (T011-221 1267), Royal Jordanian (T011-221 1267), and Turkish Airlines (T011-222 7266). International airport departure tax is S£1500 but this is currently being phased out (and added into the cost of your flight). Ask your hotel for up-to-date information.

Bus

Damascus has 2 main bus stations: Harasta Pullman Station for all destinations north of the city and Al-Samariyeh Station for the south. Both stations are out of town. A taxi to either from the centre costs about S£90 and takes about 25 mins (except in peak traffic, from about 1600-1800, when you should give yourself 1 hr to get there). Services are generally frequent enough that you can just turn up at the station and be on your way within an hour. You have to show your passport when buying bus tickets.

Harasta Pullman Station (Garaget Harasta Pullman): There are at least 30 companies here providing transport to all destinations to the north of Damascus, mostly on a/c buses. Kadmous and Al-Ahliah are 2 of the most reliable companies to use. Kadmous has several departures daily to Aleppo (4½ hrs, S£200), via Hama (3 hrs, S£115) at 0700, 1010, 1230, 1400, 1600 and 1900; Raqqa (6 hrs, S£225), via Homs (2½ hrs, S£115), at 0730, 0915, 1200, 1315, 1430, 1600, 1730 and 2300; Deir ez-Zor (7 hrs, S£300), via Palmyra (3½ hrs, S£175) at 0615, 0930, 1130, 1330, 1430, 1600, 1730, 1930 and 2230; and Qamishle (9 hrs, S£350) via Hassakeh (8 hrs, S£325) at 1230 and 2300. They also have buses to Tartus (3 hrs, S£200), every hour from 0530 and Lattakia (4 hrs, S£225), every 2 hrs from 0530.

International

International services from the Harasta Pullman station: there are also a couple of companies offering transport to Istanbul but you’ll always have to change buses in Antakya (just over the border). It’s always cheaper to go to Antakya direct from Aleppo.

Al-Samariyeh Bus Station (Garaget Al-Samariyeh): The huge, dusty Al- Samariyeh Bus Station can be slightly disconcerting at first glance but it’s actually easy to navigate. It consists of 3 different car parks. The first (where some lazy taxi drivers drop you off) is full of microbuses. Walk to the back-left exit of this car park and you reach the Pullman Bus Station. Beyond this car park is the International Service Taxi car park. In the Pullman Station, there are about 6 companies that head to towns south of Damascus, as well as international services to Amman (Jordan) and Beirut (Lebanon). The companies also have a habit of swapping routes between each other but if you turn up to one ticket booth and they are no longer plying that route, they will point you in the right direction for the company that is.

At the time of writing Al-Rashed were the only company with services to Bosra (1½ hrs, S£100). Buses start at 0800 and leave every 2 hrs until 2000. Damas Tour run buses to Suweida (1½ hrs, S£70), and Shahba (1½ hrs, S£70). Buses start at 0600 and run every hr until 1900. Al-Muhib have services to Deraa which leave every 30 mins from 0800 (1½ hrs, S£80),

International services from the Al- Samariyeh bus station: There are a couple of different companies offering international services but Challenge seem to have the best buses. They have 2 normal services to Amman in Jordan, at 0830 and 1430 (5 hrs, S£500) and 1 VIP service at 1730 (S£700). To Beirut they have 1 bus per day which leaves at 1500 (4 hrs, S£400).

In the car park behind the Pullman station here are international service taxis. They tend to be a quicker (and more comfortable) option than the bus because you don’t have to wait for an entire bus-load to fill out border procedures. Taxis leave at all times of the day, when full. A seat to either Amman or Beirut costs S£700.

Car hire

Budget (http://www.budget-sy.com) have 3 offices in Damascus: Argentina St (T011-224 4403) 29 May St (T011-231 8116) and at Damascus International Airport (T011-540 0070).

Europcar (http://www.europcar-middleeast.com) have several offices throughout the city. The most central being inside the Meridian Hotel on Shoukri al-Kouwatli St (T0988-777 664).

Marmou Car Hire (http://www.marmou.com) is a good local car-hire company and have an office at Damascus International Airport (T011-333 5959).

Microbus

Microbuses are useful for getting to the smaller towns in the surrounding area that aren’t serviced by the Pullman buses. There are 2 microbus garages that travellers will find useful. Maaloula Garage, to the south of Abbasseen Sq, has frequent microbuses leaving for Maaloula (1 hr, S£40), and Saidnaya (1 hr, S£30). From Abbasseen Garage, just to the east of Abbasseen Sq, you can get a microbus to Nabak (for Deir Mar Musa) (1 hr, S£30).

Train

Kadem Station handles all incoming and outgoing train services. It’s outside the city centre; a taxi here costs about S£70. The fast trains to Aleppo are particularly good, and are well worth considering as an alternative option to the bus.

There are 3 express services to Aleppo (4¼ hrs, 1st class S£240, 2nd class S£200), via Homs (2¼ hrs, 1st class S£135, 2nd class S£110), and Hama (3 hrs, 1st class S£165, 2nd class S£165), at 0700, 1615 and 2015. There’s also a slow train at 1500.

There’s an old slow train daily to Lattakia (5 hrs, S£155) via Tartus (4 hrs, S£115), at 1515 and a train at 1815 every day to Deir ez-Zor (7 hrs, 1st class S£200, 2nd class S£135), via Raqqa (5 hrs, 1st class S£165, 2nd class S£110).

Services on the old diesel-fired steam train that used to ply the scenic route from Damascus to the Barada Gorge unfortunately no longer begin from Damascus. This may change in the future so enquire at the station for up-to-date information. If you’re a train journey enthusiast and want to ride on this train, you now have to journey out to Al-Hamie Station (about S£300 in a taxi) where you can pick up the service which runs daily (during summer months) at 1025 to Ain Fijeh. The return service to Al-Hamie leaves Ain Fijeh at 1700.

International
The Hejaz rail service between Damascus and Amman is currently suspended. If services do resume (and track maintenance along this line has been going on an awfully long time now so there’s no guarantee they will), please be aware that this train journey can be a painfully slow, dusty and uncomfortable process (taking an average 9 hrs); though there’s no denying the atmospheric experience of travelling along this route. Before services were suspended, trains left Damascus (Kadem Station) on Sun at 0730 arriving in Amman at 1700 (S£200). Tickets could only be bought on the day of travel.

Although modern-day Damascus spreads over a large area, its core is surprisingly compact. The Old City comprises a distinct area, enclosed within city walls which, for the most part, still survive. Immediately to the northwest of this is the main centre of the modern city. Here, Martyrs’ Square (in Arabic ‘al-Marjeh’, but also known as Al-Shouhada Square) is the focus for many of the cheap hotels and restaurants (this is also Damascus’ ‘red-light’ district).

Running west from the Citadel, which is situated at the northwest corner of the Old City, An Naser Street takes you past the Hejaz railway station, terminus for the famous Hejaz railway line, from where a major north-south axis runs along Said al-Jabri, Port Said and 29 May streets passing through the main commercial and business centre of the city. Intersecting this north-south axis is another major east-west axis, Shoukri al-Kouwatli Street.

Heading west, this takes you past the Tekkiyeh as-Suleimaniyeh complex and the National Museum, separated from the main road by a branch of the Barada River, before reaching Umawiyeen ‘Square’ (in fact a huge roundabout).

Just west of the National Museum the large Assad Bridge crosses Shoukri al-Kouwatli Street. Following it north and then northwest leads you up into the modern, fashionable Abu Roumaneh district where many of the foreign embassies are located. Further north still, the long ridge of Kassioun mountain dominates the skyline, with the ancient districts of Salihiye/Al-Charkasiye, once separated from the old city by countryside, strung out along its lower slopes.
Extending southwest from Umawiyeen Square, meanwhile, is the modern district of Al-Mezzeh, strung out along the busy thoroughfare of Fayez Mansour Street. This newly affluent area of Damascus also houses a number of foreign embassies.