My adventures in Damascus continued with more must-see sights: first of all, the National Museum of Damascus, which contains an important collection of antiquities:
Unfortunately, pictures weren’t allowed inside (as is the case in many museums in syria), but there were plenty of replica-monuments in the outer courtyard:
Later that day I went back to the Old City to visit some more sights, including the Khan Assaad Pasha (a “khan” is a traveler’s inn). There is a fountain in the middle, with the travelers’ rooms were upstairs off the balcony pathway surrounding the courtyard:
There was also the Azem Palace, a lavish 18th century residence built for one of the governors of Damascus, again consisting of a courtyard with buildings all around:
Here is one of the few pictures with me in it during my first couple of days here… I guess I do stick out like a sore thumb, right?
After my sojourn into the Old City, I somehow found time to trek up to the north of Damascus, to an area called Salihiyya, containing a market (Souq al-Joumma, which means either “Friday Market” or “Market of Gathering”–not sure which) and various mosques:
In the midst of another long day of walking in the heat (good thing it wasn’t humid, but still it was HOT), I was glad to find refreshment at key moments, whether it was a glass of mulberry juice on ice (50 Syrian Pounds = USD $1, which is actually quite expensive because it was right next to the Umayyad Mosque), or a small cup of lemon slush (5 SP = 10 cents):
And of course, bottled water is essential–I went through this 1.5 L bottle in about 5 minutes when taking a break at the hotel in the afternoon:
