Damascus Full day

Christian history finds its beginnings in Damascus.  Saul of Tarsus (St. Paul) is said to have found the revelation on his way to Damascus while going to arrest the Christians. He met St. Ananias there and preached the word of Christ with him.

The Omayyad Mosque

This Great Mosque stands in the heart of the Old City at the end of Souq al-Hamidiyeh. It was built by the Omayyad Caliph al-Walid ibn Abdul Malek in 705 AD when Damascus was the capital of the Arab Islamic Empire.

The mosque was constructed on the site of what has always been a place of worship: first, a temple for Hadad, the Aramean god of the ancient Syrians, 3000 years ago; then, a pagan temple (the temple of Jupiter the Damascene) during the Roman era. It was later turned into a church called John the Baptist when Christianity spread in the 4^th century. Following the Islamic conquest in 635, Muslims and Christians agreed to partition it between them, and began to perform their rituals side by side.

The Al Azem Palace

This also stands at the heart of the Old City, on the southern side of the Omayyad Mosque, and very close to it. It is an astonishing example of a Damascene house, where the simple, almost primitive, exterior contrasts rather sharply with the beauty and sophistication of the interior. Here one finds a sense of space, a wealth of polychrome stone, splendid marble, cascading fountains, and fragrant flowers. The palace was built in the mid-18^th century for the Governor of Damascus. The palace now houses the Museum of Arts and Popular Traditions.

The Souqs

The old covered souqs of Damascus have a unique flavour you can savour with eyes closed. As you walk about in the warm darkness of these streets with their fragrant scents, spices, and colourful merchandise spilling out of the shops onto the pavements, you enter the strange world of exotic legend. Most prominent of these are:

Souq al-Hamidiyeh
Souq Midhat Pasha
Souq al-Harir
Souq Al-Bzourieh

Pick-up from hotel at 9 am. Visit the Umayyad Mosque, famous for its golden mosaics and the head of John the Baptist. Then visit Salaheddin Tomb and proceed to Al Azem Palace, Saint Hanania and Saint Paul churches, Hamidiyeh old covered bazaar, National Museum, Straight Street and Takie Sleimanieh.