The magnificent old city of Damascus inhabits a wide range of souks that cater to different needs. As the spring season sets What,s On takes a trip to the old city in order to attain a sense of our national heritage and a culture that seems to be unique to the masses

Our first stop was at the all famous Hamadiyeh souk. We followed a straight line of 500 meters from the west of the old city to the Ommayyad Mosque. The souk dates back to the Ottoman Rule under Sultan Abdul-Hamid, after whom the souk "hamidiyeh" was named. The souk is covered with high iron vaulting and the hot sun's rays are filtered through its shields, with holes that emerged from gun fire attacks in the mid 20th century under the French mandate. A major commercial center up until this day, the shops in Hamadiyeh sell almost everything with a wide array of products displayed at the main street. Exquisite handmade brocades, mosaic, and copper inlaid with silver were superbly displayed, perplexing to the shopper's initiative due to their abundance. Ice cream, sweets, and the delicious `tamary ka'ak' were  continuously  At our disposal as we walked through the souk.

Branching out to the right of the souk, close to its mid-point, we led our way through to Souk Al-Saghah.

Confined in its covered ceilings and walls as well, Souk Al-Saghah is limited to jewelry only, The window displays present a numerous range of precious metal accessories, genuine yellow and white gold, with diamond or pearl details. From necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, engagement rings, wedding rings, all of which were copious to the senses. A good bargain should be attained on jewelry in this souk.

Heading back to the main street in Hamadiyeh, again branching to its left was souk Al-Aragheel or better say the `hubbly-bubbly' souk. This souk had all types, shapes, sizes, colors of hubbly bubblies.Rasha pointed out of the smallest hubbly bubbly I have ever seen, It was so small as if it were made for new borns. In addition to the number of hubblies displayed.

 One can customize his/her own hubbly-bubbly according to their likes and dislikes. This is a fascinating gift idea for personal friends or relations, given of course their intense liking for this product.

Again, moving into the main street,right about when we were to hit  the end of the street.  we branched out to the right, to Khan Al Jumrok- or mostly known to be "Souk Tafadely Ya Sit," translating to mean "come on in, lady!". Since most of our team is made up of ladies, all we could hear was tafadely ya sit' from the shop owners echoing as we walked through. This souk is limited to fabrics only, which are mainly of interest to women. Fabrics of all types were presented, furnishing numerous needs to their buyers. However, in Ottoman times, about 500 years ago, the souk was a stable for merchant's horses and hosted their caravans for those that took the silk route. "Today, there is no souk in the world that includes the number of fabrics confined into one entity like this souk!" the man exclaimed.

This souk leads to `Souk Al Qishani,' originally an old bath renowned for its marble tiles. Today, the souk is limited to the bride's dowry before she sets off to her marriage. Heading back to Hamadiyeh. taking the same route we came from, we reached the end of the souk where its original name was `Souk Al-Warekeen and Katebeen,' meaning the souk of writers. This part of the souk inhabits a bazaar of books of all categories and classifications. Whilst reading through a couple of extracts from Nizar Kabbani’s poetry, the surroundings are nonetheless more romantic- as the pigeons follow their prey and the Omayyad Mosque calls for prayer, moving the crowd towards one position.

Finally, our last stop was the street to the right of the mosque, Souk Al Qababiya. This souk specializes in wood making for home accessories. Originally in the Ottoman era, the name `qababib' denotes a wooden slipper that resonates sound when worn. One can still see the `qababib' sold, with respect to the other intricate items displayed that were made of wood as well.Towards the end of the "qababiya souk"  we came to a stop for lunch