Al-Hamidiyah Souq
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How to get here:
The souk begins on the main road of the old city – Al Thawra Street – and continues to the Grand Mosque of Damascus.
- Built in 1780 under the rule of Ottoman Sultan Abdul Hamid, the souk is named “al-Hamidiyah”. It was expanded in 1884 and its walkway was later enclosed with an ornate iron cover that is still there.
- The famous 600-metre-long souk, built along the axis of the original Roman route to Jupiter’s Temple and smaller adjacent markets, now links the main road from just outside the citadel to the Umawi musjid.
- The shops range from traditional antique shops to modern cosmetic stores. A trip to the souk is not complete without sampling the traditional local ice – cream, topped with crushed pistachios from the famous Bakdash ice cream parlour which was established in 1895.
