Damascus again

Back to Damascus again. This time I did a bit more sightseeing, taking in two of the most compelling sights of this ancient city – Azem Palace and the incredible Umayyad mosque. Azem Palace is a beautiful complex of buildings in the centre of the old city. Built between 1749 and 1752 as a residence for the Damascene governor, As’ad Pasha al-Azem and it remained in the famiy until the early 20th century when it was sold to the French when it became an institute of Archaeology and Islamic Art. This palace exemplifies all that is wonderful about architecture in Damascus with beautiful buildings, luxuriously decorated rooms and stunning courtyards containing a pool and a fountain.

The only building that is more impressive in Damascus is the Umayyad mosque. Second only to the mosques of Mecca and Medina in terms of importance, this mosque is Syria’s most important religious building and it is a true masterpiece. Built by over 1000 stonemasons and artisans it comprises a courtyard, a mausoleum, a prayer halls, minarets shrines and some exquisite mosaics. The cost to the Syrian state to build the mosque was 7 years worth of taxes from the whole country. That puts all the fuss about stimulus packages around the world into context!

Tomorrow I will head onto Beirut (Lebanon), a city that has a very violent and conflicted recent history but is apparently making quite a comeback. I can’t wait to see it for myself.

- David