Souq Al-Hamidiya

Al-Hamidiyah Souq stretches from Bab al-Nasr near the Damascus Citadel to the gates of the Umayyad Mosque,
tracing the path of the ancient Roman street for 600 meters. It was originally constructed by Governor Abdel Hamid Pasha in 1780 and rebuilt after the fire of 1884 under a vaulted iron canopy, named in honor of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. The bullet holes left by French artillery during the 1925 revolution still mark the roof panels, now letting in streaks of silvery light that shimmer over the goods below.

Today, the souq holds over 600 shops offering everything from Damascene textiles and hand-hammered copperware to modern fashion. Side alleys lead to Mamluk-era caravanserais and Ottoman hammams. Beneath the pockmarked ceiling, the journey peaks at the famed Bakdash Ice Cream Parlor, serving its signature clotted cream and pistachio dessert since 1895, a taste few visitors leave without sampling.