Syria · Damascus Governorate · Damascus
Abu Jarash, Damascus — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Abu Jarash is a neighbourhood of al-Salihiyah in Damascus, Syria, built around a domed Ayyubid mausoleum.
About Abu Jarash
Where to stay in Abu Jarash
Not every neighbourhood fits every trip — here's what each one is good for.
Abu Jarash sits within the al-Salihiyah municipality of Damascus, on the slopes above the old walled core. Lodging is thin on these al-Salihiyah slopes. Most travellers base themselves closer to the Umayyad Mosque and the Citadel of Damascus, then walk or ride up towards al-Salihiyah when the quieter uphill quarters and the mausoleum of Abu Jarash draw them.
Choose this side for calmer streets and easy reach of the National Museum in Damascus.
About Abu Jarash
What are the main landmarks in Abu Jarash?
The mausoleum defines the quarter. Abu Jarash grew around the domed tomb of Abdallah ibn Sala al-Raqqi, the Ayyubid court official who gave the neighbourhood its name. From the slopes of al-Salihiyah the wider draws of Damascus lie close at hand, among them the Umayyad Mosque, the Citadel of Damascus, and the Nur al-Din Bimaristan down in the old city.
The National Museum in Damascus rounds out a short circuit through the capital's past.
What is the history of Abu Jarash?
A tomb came first. Abu Jarash took shape around the domed mausoleum of Abdallah ibn Sala al-Raqqi, a high-ranking official at the Ayyubid royal court, and the settlement spread across the al-Salihiyah slopes of Damascus from that single burial place. Under the French Mandate the neighbourhood was already a settled Muslim quarter.
It has kept the name of the man beneath the dome ever since.
Where is Abu Jarash?
Abu Jarash lies on the al-Salihiyah slopes above the old core of Damascus, a hillside quarter in a dry subtropical climate.
Good for
More areas in Damascus
Updated July 2026