Souq Hameediyah – Syria

On my second day in Damascus… my sister woke up early to go to work, while I took it kinda easy. I woke up, had breakfast in the hotel with few notes here and there… planning my day ahead. I started of with Syriatel – I needed a local line 😉 Much cheaper than roaming! Then I asked the hotel for a map + directions to get to Souq Al Hameediyah… to my luck-NOT their map was tiny, so I relied on the directions… pretty clear and easy!

I walked (around 15 mins) to the walled old city of Damascus – You really have to pay attention when crossing the roads… pedestrian crossing is suicidal! Just like Hawalli in Kuwait. I got there in one piece 😉

That was my first sign, Salah AlDeen AlAyoubi statue in front of the citadel and Bab Al Nasr, the entrance to the Souq

Its an old market situated in a historical place… so when you walk around you cant help but think how many people took those same steps hundreds of years ago in here… or is it just me that think this way :-P! I enjoyed it so much… very cheerful people!

So what can you find in Hameediyah? Well… where do I start? Lots and lots of sweets, food, spices, textiles (Syrian cotton is of high quality), mosques within the shops… antiques, souvenirs, toys, and lots of food vendors; chestnuts, popcorn, fava beans, chickpeas… you name it!! I will actually prepare a post just about the food vendors in Damas!

Anyways… here are some pictures of the shops inside