The most beautiful religious buildings Damascus

The recent Shia shrine, situated not far from the Umayyad mosque, is not missing. Its gloss inside, with a prayer room with hundreds of mirrors, dive in a green light light, slice with the sobriety of other places of worship in the city. Enter the place and observe the devotion of highly expressive Shia women in the expression of their faith. Women must wear a Muslim dress.

The construction of the mausoleum spanned 50 years (from 1172 to 1218). The facade is treated more soberly than that of the adjacent mausoleum, with an arc in full hanger. A small vestibule leads to a courtyard with a basin. On the right, the iwan and, on the left, the old prayer room, which opens onto the courtyard by five bays. All rooms around the courtyard, which were the rooms of the students and masters, are arranged in the library. Jadis once contained the grave of the brother of Saladin, Sultan Al-Adil Ed ed-Din, the man who raised the Damascus citadel, dead in 1218. It houses the Arab Manuscripts section of the National Library.

From the threshold to the éblouissante style of calligraphie style and to the mouqarnas, the funeral room is found on the right. One of the guards will gladly open it with a bakchich. While the tones and themes are identical to the mosaic décor of the Umayyad mosque, the execution is more coarse. Among other remarkable elements of the decor are the mihrab à, steeped in marble, ivory and mother's length, and decorated with floral motifs, calligraphy and geometric motifs, as well as baseboards with marble scales. Completed in 1278, the mausoleum of the Sultan mameluke Az-Zahir Baïbars occupies the location of a house formerly inhabited by Ayyoub, the father of Saladin. Madrasas acts as a library, and there are many dusty books among which the works on Islam contradict Lenin's works.

Among the many holy places and shrines in Damascus, there are three of them attracting the Shia pilgrims in Iran. They are the tomb of Hussein in the Great Mosque, the nearby Rouqqaya mosque, and finally the Saida Zeinab mausoleum. Dedicated to a granddaughter of Mohammed, this mausoleum takes you to Isfahan. The profusion of money and mirrors in the prayer rooms, the rich decor of tiles, the immense golden dome contrast with the modest suburb where it is located. To get there, take a collective taxi for Saida Zeinab (15 km from the city centre, on the road to Souweida south-east of Damascus).

This small palace, dating back to the late th century, is home to an antique shop. Ask to climb on the roof, a privilege that the store leader willingly grants… and in French. There is a splendid view of old Damascus, with the Hamidiyé Souk as the horizon. Almost opposite, on the other side of the street Noureddin ash-Shahid, is madrasas An-Nouri. It houses the grave of the Great Noureddin, but the original building has almost disappeared. If the door is closed, you can see the sepulchre through the grid from the alley.

By continuing on rue Al-Moawiya (that of madrasas An-Nouri, opposite the Osmane street), at 200 m, slightly on the right, you reach Bimaristan year-Nouri.