Damascus National Museum

The National Museum of Damascus is Syria’s largest and most important museum, housing an extraordinary collection of archaeological artefacts spanning over 11,000 years of civilisation. The museum was founded in 1919 during the Arab Kingdom of Syria and moved to its current location near the Tekkiye complex in 1936.

The museum’s galleries are organised chronologically and thematically. The prehistoric section displays finds from Tell Ramad, one of the oldest agricultural sites in the world. The Oriental Gallery features reliefs and statuary from Mari, Ugarit, and Ebla – some of the most important Bronze Age city-states. The Greco-Roman section includes mosaics, sculptures, and jewellery from Palmyra and Apamea.

One of the museum’s most celebrated exhibits is the reconstructed hypogeum of Yarhai from Palmyra (3rd century CE), with its remarkable ceiling paintings. The Islamic section houses an outstanding collection of manuscripts, metalwork, ceramics, and woodwork from the Umayyad, Ayyubid, and Ottoman periods. The museum also features a reconstructed 18th-century Damascene reception room (qa’a) with its original wood panelling, fountain, and decorative tiles.