Bab Sharqi Monument

Address: Bab Sharqi (Eastern Gate), Old City, Damascus, Syria

Hours: Open 24 hours

Admission: Free

Bab Sharqi, literally the Eastern Gate, is one of the historic gates of the Old City of Damascus and serves as a principal eastern entrance to the walled centre.

The gate opens onto the ancient Straight Street (Via Recta), which runs westward into the heart of the Old City and connects with major religious and commercial sites. The area immediately inside and around the gate includes a long-established mixed quarter with churches, shops and residences.

Bab Sharqi dates to antiquity as part of the city’s Roman and later urban fabric and has been rebuilt and repaired under successive rulers over many centuries. The gate has retained its role as an important urban access point while the surrounding streets have continued in continuous use since the Roman and Byzantine periods.

The gate lies on the eastern side of the Old City of Damascus, a short distance east of the Umayyad Mosque and within the historic walled enclosure in central Damascus.

• Proximity to Umayyad Mosque: The gate sits a short walk east of the Umayyad Mosque and links the Old City’s eastern approaches to its central streets.

What to See#

• Bab Sharqi (Eastern Gate): The historic eastern gate of the Old City of Damascus, forming one of the principal entrances to the walled city and opening onto the old Roman Via Recta.
• Straight Street (Via Recta): The adjacent straight street that runs west into the Old City and connects the gate with the central mosque and other quarters.
• Adjacent quarters: The Christian quarter and mixed commercial areas located immediately inside the gate to the west and northwest.

Bab Sharqi (the Eastern Gate) is one of the historic gates of Damascus’s Old City. It is located at the eastern edge of the Old City, close to the old souqs and the Umayyad Mosque, so it is readily reached on foot from the Old City central area.

Visitors typically arrive by taxi or local bus to central Damascus and then walk into the Old City to reach Bab Sharqi; the gate is in the heart of the historic centre.

• Plan to visit early in the morning when the area around Bab Sharqi and the adjacent Old City streets are at their quietest and most atmospheric.
• Approach the gate on foot through the Old City so you can easily branch off into the nearby souqs and historic alleys that many passersby overlook.
• Check current local travel and safety advisories before visiting, since access and conditions in central Damascus can change; confirm opening and access with local sources.