Tomb of Ibn Arabi

Sufi pilgrimage shrine of the great medieval philosopher

A small mosque on the lower slopes of Mount Kassioun, built in 1518 by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I to house the tomb of Ibn Arabi. The mosque is unremarkable from outside but inside the tiled chamber containing the philosopher's sarcophagus is one of the more atmospheric pilgrimage sites in Damascus, with worn carpets, low silver lamps and a constant trickle of Sufi visitors.

The mosque is open to non-Muslim visitors who dress modestly. Found a steep ten-minute walk up from the Salihiyya main street.

things to do sight
A story
Muhi al-Din Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), born in Andalusia, was one of the most influential Sufi philosophers in Islamic history — his ideas of the 'Unity of Being' shaped much of subsequent Muslim mysticism. He spent his last years in Damascus, and his tomb on the Salihiyya slopes has been a pilgrimage site ever since.