Damascus - Further Attractions

Maristan Nur ad-Din
The Maristan Nur ad-Din, a 12th-century lunatic asylum, was used until the 19th century. Patients were soothed by music and the splashing waters of fountains. Now an interesting museum of medicine, it shows just how advanced the Arabs were on that front.

Just off Sharia al-Mu'awiya, Old City, Damascus

Tekkiye as-Sulaymaniyye
This exquisite mosque was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent and built by his master architect Sinan in a mixed Turkish and Syrian style. Next door is a tekke or monastery, now strangely filled with army planes from the Army Museum, and the Selimiye Madrasa, a centre for traditional crafts.

Sharia Shoukri al-Quwatly, Damascus