Ramparts of Damascus

 

Here and there in the foundation can be seen stones of the Roman period. 

This is the northern section of the eastern rampart, a short distance from Bāb Šarqi (the Eastern Gate). The semicircular tower in the foreground goes back to the time of the Būrid Atabegs who ruled Damascus in the first half of the 12th century. The square-cornered tower in the background, the Tower of Ṣāliḥ ʾAyyūb, is contemporary with Bāb as-Salām (Gate of Peace or Safety). The outline of the walls has remained unchanged on the east side since antiquity and shows the 12th to 16th century additions to the Roman foundations.

Jacques Ghislain de Maussion de Favières. Damascus, Baghdad: Capitals and lands of the caliphs. Translation to English by Edward J. Banks. Librairie orientale (Dar el-Mashreq), Beirut, Lebanon. 1972.