Damascus is the capital of Syria and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is big, lively, and a little rough around the edges, with a sprawling old centre of narrow winding streets and one of the great covered souks of the Middle East.
The Old City is the heart of the visit. Enclosed by massive Roman-era walls, it holds the Umayyad Mosque, Saladin's mausoleum, the ancient Street Called Straight, and a labyrinth of markets — the great Al-Hamidiyah Souq selling everything from spices to brocade, and the Buzuriyah Souq behind it threaded with old caravanserais like Khan As'ad Pasha. South of the mosque, the Azem Palace offers a glimpse of 18th-century Damascene life. The Christian quarter around Bab Touma and Bab Sharqi is quieter, full of small churches and the underground Chapel of Ananias where, according to tradition, St Paul regained his sight. The bright turquoise dome and mirror-tiled interior of the Sayyida Ruqayya Mosque sits just north of the great mosque.
When you need a break from sightseeing, duck into one of the tea houses just behind the Umayyad Mosque and sit for an hour, or head to the Hammam Nureddin for a proper soak. For the best view of the city, take a taxi up to Mount Kassioun at sunset, when the lights of the Ghouta spread out below.
Damascus owes its existence to the Barada River, which descends from the Anti-Lebanon range and fans out into the channels that feed the Ghouta, a vast expanse of gardens, orchards and fields. To the northwest the city climbs the rocky slopes of Jabal Kassioun, where the poorer and more densely packed neighbourhoods give way to the old quarter of Al-Salihiyya, with its medieval shrines and small stepped lanes.