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The Levant
Takiyya al-Sulaymaniyya
On the Barada river, Damascus, Syria
Sinan's masterpiece outside Anatolia: a great domed mosque with a vaulted summer prayer hall, twin Anatolian-style minarets, and a charitable takiyya that once fed the poor and pilgrims. Today it houses the Museum of Arabic Calligraphy and arts.
Story & history
Sultan Suleiman sent his most famous architect, Sinan, to build a takiyya for travellers and the poor in Damascus. Sinan organised the complex around a courtyard with a summer mosque with a vaulted minbar and a compact winter mosque, plus cells, a bath and a public kitchen. Travellers ranked it among the finest Ottoman works in Syria, and its black-and-white stone façade is still studied in architecture books.
Getting there
Pin the site on the map or head straight there with your maps app; opening hours and access vary by season.
Quick facts
- Sinan's most famous work in Greater Syria
- Twin minarets in the Konya style
- The Arabic arts museum is housed in its courtyard
Visiting tip
Near Bab al-Faraj square in northern Damascus; best visited in the morning with a museum tour.