Traditions of Damascus
One of the oldest cities in the world, with a great mosque, a roofed souk and a long tradition of sweets and brocade.
Damascus has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years. Its old city is full of courtyard houses with fountains, roofed souks and sweet shops. Damascene crafts include brocade, inlaid wood and blown glass, and the Ramadan nights in the old city are famous for storytelling and music.
The old city in Ramadan
In Ramadan, the hakawati, the storyteller, once sat in cafes narrating epics such as the tales of Antar. The musaharati, a drummer, still walks the lanes before dawn to wake people for suhoor. Families meet at long iftar tables and exchange sweets. Eid is celebrated with visits and sweets.
At the table
Damascene food includes kibbeh, fattoush, shawarma and a rich range of mezze. The sweet shops sell ma'amoul, baklava and booza, a stretchy ice cream. Sham, the name of the old city, is also the name of Syria's style of cooking. Fresh apricots, pistachios and rose water are signature flavours.
Signature traditions of Damascus
Also part of it, and being written: Musaharati (The Ramadan wake-up drummer.), Kibbeh (The ground meat and bulgur dish.), Mezze (Small dishes of the Levant.), Brocade (The silk brocade.).
A trail idea for Damascus
- Umayyad Mosque Visit outside prayer times.
- Al-Hamidiyah Souq The roofed market with a vaulted roof.
- Bakdash ice cream Try the pistachio booza.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
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Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Mevlevi Order: Georges Jansoone ( JoJan ), CC BY 3.0, source
- Muharram: Victor Armand Poirson, Public domain, source
- Great Lent: Stalinsunnykvj, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Suhur: Hussein Alazaat, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holy Saturday: Anonymous Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Beheading of John the Baptist: Caravaggio, Public domain, source
- Tasu'a: Alirajabzadeh49, CC BY 4.0, source