The largest and most famous covered market in Damascus, running 600 metres from the western edge of the Old City to the gates of the Umayyad Mosque. The street is roofed with arched corrugated iron and lined with stalls selling silks, brocade, spices, sweets, antiques, copperwork, perfumes and the city's celebrated ice creams.
The most famous stop is Bakdash, established in 1885, which serves Arabic ice cream pounded by hand in tall wooden vats and rolled in pistachios. The queue moves quickly and the ice cream is worth the wait. The souq is at its liveliest in the late afternoon and evening, when it can become packed.
Enter near the Citadel of Damascus from Yousef Al-Azmeh Square. The eastern end leads directly into the Umayyad Mosque courtyard via a Roman triumphal arch.