If you complete a Google search for “oldest capital in the world”, it’s likely most of the responses will be Damascus, Syria. There is much truth to this statement, as anyone who visits Damascus can attest. I was fortunate to visit Syria in September of 2008.
Much of the history is enshrined in the old parts of the city. In some areas, citadels stand, castle walls remain unscathed, and garrison forts are ready for troops to protect the city. Construction is forbidden in certain parts of the old city to ensure the history is maintained. Some places, like the castle walls around the Omayyad Mosque, have newer structures inside of them, but the old walls, floors, pillars, etc have all been left.
As one approaches the main entrance for the old market or سوق الحميدية (the transliteration to English is Souk Al Hamidiyeh) you can see the castle walls and the citadels that still stand. The road to cross to get the main entrance is quite busy. To deal with this, an underpass was built to allow pedestrian traffic a work around without congesting the already congested streets. Public transportation is a must in Syria, as it’s very cheap and can get you almost anywhere.
The below picture on the left was taken at the entrance to the market and the picture on the right was taken after walking ~50 meters into the market. The guy in the picture on the left with the with the silver pack on his back is selling a refreshment which is pretty popular in the Middle East. The drink has the taste of black licorice and is named عرقسوس ( transliterated to English: ‘erk-soos). He’s also dressed in a traditional outfit for the seller of this drink. He jingles the glasses around and repeats a chant to entice customers. The picture on the right shows some of the shops in the market. You can find almost anything in the market, things such as under garments, wedding attire, shoes, sandals, antiques, furniture, spices, fruits, etc..
Once you get past the market, you begin to see the old town. The pathways are very narrow, and phone/electrical connections can be seen streaming along walls and around buildings. Most of these structures are older than any known infrastructure for the city (sewage, electricity, full water service, phone, etc.), thus the infrastructure was added any way people knew how. Also, the buildings are typically rocks/brick with mortar and were not developed to leave room for piping, wires, cabling, etc. Some homes have been refurbished to become tourist attractions, where people can see how the Syrian people lived when these homes were build.
In between the market and the residential area is the Omayyad Mosque. The original mosque is ~1200 years old, and is accepted as the burial place of John the Baptist by both Christians and Muslims. It is a revered “tourist” attraction, and all are free to enter the mosque. The interesting thing is for women who are not wearing a headscarf, there are one piece headscarves available for people to wear and then to return upon exit. The first picture is the outer wall of the mosque, second is inside the courtyard, and the third is one of the minarets.
Syria is a very beautiful country, rich with history and architecture. It’s worth the trip if it can be planned.
Exchange rate at the time: $1 USD = 44 Syrian Lira
Average taxi ride: 50 Lira
Average bus ride: 10 Lira
Meal at a corner restaurant: 40 Lira
Meal at a sit down restaurant: 200-600 Lira
Noted hotel cost: $50-400 USD
Noted hostel cost: $12-30 USD
Tags: Damascus, Omayyad Mosque, Syria, سوق الحميدية
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