Al-Hamidiyah Souq

About this place

Al-Hamidiyah Souq is the largest and best-known market in Syria, inside the walls of the Old City of Damascus next to the Citadel. It runs about 600 m and is about 15 m wide, under a curved metal roof about 10 m high. It starts at Al-Thawra Street and ends at the Umayyad Mosque plaza, so it is the natural way in for most visitors to the Old City. The souq dates from the Ottoman era, built around 1780 under Sultan Abdul Hamid I along the axis of the Roman road to the Temple of Jupiter. It was later extended under Sultan Abdul Hamid II, whose name it bears. An 1898 handbook for travellers described it as a handsomely decorated new bazaar. You walk past hundreds of shops selling clothes, crafts and jewellery, along with cafes and sellers of sweets and ice cream. Light enters through small holes in the metal roof and draws lines on the ground. At the far end stand the columns of the Roman Temple of Jupiter, and then the plaza opens before the Umayyad Mosque. It is about 200 m in a straight line from the Citadel and about 300 m from the Umayyad Mosque. The souq is free to walk through, though many shops usually close on Fridays. Watch your belongings in the crowds, and bargain politely. The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all travel to Syria, and British consular help is not available there, so check official guidance before making any plans.