Mount Qasioun rises bare and pale behind the city, and from its slopes Damascus spreads out as a sea of flat roofs, domes and minarets. Beyond it, the Anti-Lebanon range catches most of the sea rain and sends the Barada river down from its mountain springs into the old oasis.
Inside the walls, the covered Hamidiyah souq leads to the Umayyad Mosque, the lanes of Bab Tuma hold small cafés, and Midan is known for its sweet shops. The climate is dry, with long hot summers and cool, sometimes rainy winters. A Local Friend pulls up a chair for you at a table you would not have found alone, in a courtyard house or a corner shop no guide lists.
