Al-Hamidiyah Souq
Appearance
Arabic) | |
Length | 600 metres (2,000 ft) |
---|---|
Width | 15 metres (49 ft) |
Location | Damascus, Syria |
Coordinates | 33°30′39″N 36°18′3″E / 33.51083°N 36.30083°E |
Construction | |
Construction start | 1780 |
Completion | 1884 |
The Al-Hamidiyeh Souq (
souk in Syria, located inside the old walled city of Damascus next to the Citadel. The souq is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) long [1][2] and 15 metres (49 ft) wide,[1] and is covered by a 10-metre (33 ft) tall metal arch.[1] The souq starts at Al-Thawra street and ends at the Umayyad Mosque plaza, and the ancient Roman Temple of Jupiter
stands 40 feet tall in its entrance.
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Bakdash_ice-cream_shop_in_the_old_souk_in_Damascus.jpg/200px-Bakdash_ice-cream_shop_in_the_old_souk_in_Damascus.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/In_Al-Hamidiyah_Souq_1.jpg/200px-In_Al-Hamidiyah_Souq_1.jpg)
The souq dates back to the
Syrian Civil War, it was one of Damascus's main attractions and was visited by many tourists, including Europeans and Gulf Arabs;[2] however, it still remains a popular attraction for locals and Syrians.[2]
Although there have been many violent clashes around Damascus and in some of its districts the souq has not been affected in any way by the ongoing war, but peaceful protests and demonstrations have taken place in the nearby
Medhat Pasha Souq
, which extends from the Al Hamidiyah Souq.
It was one of the treasures featured in the 2005 BBC documentary Around the World in 80 Treasures presented by Dan Cruickshank.
See also
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Al-Hamidiyah Souq.
- Al-Buzuriyah Souq
- Medhat Pasha Souq
- Al-Madina Souq of Aleppo
References
- ^ a b c d e سوق الحميدية - اكتشف سورية
- ^ a b c d e "Al-Hamidiyah Souk, main Damascus shopping centre - The Arab Weekly". Archived from the original on 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2017-10-21.