Straight Street, Damascus: A Roman Road Still in Use After 2,000 Years
Straight Street (Via Recta) crosses Old Damascus from Bab al-Jabiya to Bab Sharqi: its Roman story, its place in the Bible, the Roman arch, workshops, churches and cafés.
Straight Street is the backbone of Old Damascus. The Romans laid it out as the main east–west avenue (the decumanus), about a kilometre and a half long, once wide and lined with colonnades. Over the centuries it narrowed and filled with shops, but it still does the same job: it is how people cross the city.
From the Bible to the bazaar
The street is named in the Acts of the Apostles: Paul, blinded on the road to Damascus, stayed "in the street called Straight" until Ananias came and restored his sight. That is why visitors come from all over the world, and why many also visit the underground Chapel of Ananias nearby in Bab Touma — see Christian Damascus in the footsteps of St Paul.
What to see along it
- Souq Midhat Pasha at the western end: fabrics, cloaks, rope and rugs in a long covered market.
- The Roman arch, roughly halfway, the remains of a Roman gateway.
- Workshops of wood inlay, copper and brocade — read about them in our Damascus crafts guide.
- Old churches of the city's many Christian communities around Bab Sharqi.
- Bab Sharqi at the end: the only Roman gate still standing with its three arches.
How to walk it
Start at the Midhat Pasha end in the morning, when the souq is busy, and walk east, stopping at the workshops. By afternoon Bab Sharqi and al-Qassaa are at their best, with small cafés and courtyard restaurants. For a full day, follow our one-day route through Old Damascus.
The street is narrow and cars and motorbikes do pass — keep to the side, especially while taking photos.
- Length
- About 1.5 km
- From
- Bab al-Jabiya / Souq Midhat Pasha
- To
- Bab Sharqi
- Time
- An hour's walk, more with stops
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