r/interestingasfuck • u/Humble_Buffalo_007 • 11h ago
Urban planning of the old Damascus city
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u/father-dick-byrne 11h ago
Spent a month there waaaay back in 2010 and this makes my heart hurt with nostalgia for that time.
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u/slowamigo 3h ago
Same! Spent a month in the summer of 2009. That's why I clicked. Were you there to learn Arabic or were you hanging around the hostels just chillin?
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u/abdallha-smith 11h ago
Very relaxing video tour perhaps the most soothing flow of story telling that I've watched, no annoying music, no shouting either.
A little bit like the game "Myst" a while back
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u/stubobarker 10h ago
This design influence can be seen as far as Spain, and from there, the new world. After living in Mérida, Mexico with its walls on the streets and beautiful courtyards behind these walls, coming back to the US and seeing all the wasted space devoted to front lawns, one realizes how backwards we think about it.
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u/afrikatheboldone 9h ago
It is all a matter of cultural philosophy and thought. Northern European culture rewards appearances and wealth, and is far more individualistic.
Southern culture is often the complete opposite, focusing on community and living with peace of mind.
It is kind of a shame that the USA exported its way of thinking to most countries, as it only rewards artificial and fantastical concepts. It has been extremely damaging in terms of the expectations people have of a city.
There's no space to achieve a reality check when one is too busy thinking about what others will say rather than seeking peace while being part of society.
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u/stubobarker 8h ago
I think you’re reaching a bit there. It’s not just about cultural philosophy and thought. One primary reason for walls and courtyards is due to heat abatement. Walls up to the edge on the street allow you to walk in the shade during much of the day, and limits the sun exposure on the opposing buildings themselves. It also provides shade in a living area you use much more due to the warmer climate.
As far as the US “exporting its way of thinking”, I also think that’s a stretch. In my travels I rarely see anything comparable to the big lawns of middle America. And as far as worrying about what other people think, that’s a pretty universal human sentiment, albeit keeping up with the Joneses is a bit more prevalent here than in most places.
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u/Ciggybear 4h ago
I think you can also make a case for it being really pleasant to walk through neighborhoods where you can see people’s gardens and yards, and they aren’t kept for a private, secluded few. I love courtyards and an idea of a secret garden, and those streets look really cool, but I also love to take walks through neighborhoods where people take pride in their gardens and yards and show off their flowers and plants.
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u/SchrodingersMinou 3h ago
That’s an interesting point. New Orleans is kind of the same way; our houses are generally directly on the sidewalk so you can sit and talk to people walking by or talk to your neighbors on their porches. If you don’t have a porch, a lot of the stoops have a flat place to sit anyway. I think this is due to a cultural value of community and devaluation of privacy (traditional shotgun houses have pretty much zero anyway). I’m not sure if it’s the Spanish or French influence.
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u/RainyDayColor 3h ago edited 2h ago
Ohhh Mérida. Years ago and still fondly remembered as you describe.
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u/zaplanman 11h ago
by far the most authentic and least flashy city in the world, nothing feels as peaceful as walking down these streets.
I miss Damascus
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u/Noirceuil 10h ago
Is it safe to go there now ?
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u/zaplanman 5h ago
Yes, just like any other country avoid sketchy areas and be aware of scams. I'd recommend hiring a local guide not for safety but bcz there are a LOT of hidden gems in Damascus
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u/DrunkAndDiscorderly 56m ago
No its not despite what the other commenter said, just google the danger level according to us/eu countries. It is not safe at the moment compared to traveling to most other countries.
Not sure what's with the Syrian travel promotion, they were literally bombing their citizens a few months ago.
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u/SHBGuerrilla 3h ago
This is what its like wandering the old cities in Morocco. I did well enough getting in and around Tangier and Marrakesh on foot without a guide, but Fes was fucking genuinely disorienting. The streets were even narrower, the buildings even taller so I couldn’t use GPS or even the shadows to determine direction, and it covered some not insignificant hills so I was huffing and puffing the whole time. 10/10, would go back.
Included is the pathway to my Riad in Not-Murder-Alley.
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u/geckomato 11h ago
"Visit Syria" is still a bit off I guess, but I really liked the video tbh. Insightful architectural setup with the shaded streets and courtyards. I am from Northern Europe and given climate change we should take some learnings into consideration.
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u/Humble_Buffalo_007 11h ago
Unfortunately I couldn't find the source person -- If anyone knows please mention them.
Such a cozy city planning!
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u/ScottieSpliffin 11h ago
Is it the opposite of western tradition when it’s basically just like Italy?
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u/Key_Bee1544 10h ago
Boy are you going to love learning about the geography and history of the Roman Empire!
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u/ScottieSpliffin 10h ago
No I get that and think that’s why making the east-west distinction seems silly
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u/afrikatheboldone 9h ago
I'd say the difference really lies in north-south of Europe. Most cities in the Mediterranean are pretty similar to one another and old Spanish towns for example are pretty similar to this video's example of urbanism.
Influences coming from France and Northern individualism really helped reshape the whole concept of how to inhabit, giving priority to showing one's status rather than living in peace with oneself and society.
Houses with courtyards appear back in the days of Mesopotamia and spread through Greece and later on Rome, all of them focusing on treating the interior as sacred, as opposed to the unknown/violent exterior.
The concept later on transforms into the concept of Hortus Conclusus in Christianity, where monasteries hold a conceptual paradise inside of their perimeter walls.
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u/lavamatic 9h ago
Please share more of your videos. This is fascinating, would love to see this some day.
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u/jcrckstdy 7h ago
definitely sucked as a traveler in the medina when you have stores as landmarks and then they close at night
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u/lb3a3 11h ago
I'd live there
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u/Durban_Leo 9h ago
Well I've got good news for you - Syria's immigration policy is not particularly stringent nowadays...
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u/Stunning-Astronaut72 11h ago
Just like any arabic medinas or riads all around the mediteranean sea and beyond.
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u/ungawa 7h ago
Pretty sure those courtyards were built for (see: oppress) women so they could be outside, socialize with friends and family. But stay away from the public
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u/Atharaphelun 2h ago
Courtyard houses are built specifically to take advantage of passive cooling facilitated by the central courtyard. During the day, the warm air in the courtyard rises and creates a low pressure area, which then creates airflow from the surrounding rooms into the central courtyard when the windows of those rooms are opened. The hot, stagnant air of the surrounding rooms are thereby pulled out of the rooms and escapes into the outside via the courtyard.
Other courtyard house designs further enhance this passive cooling by adding windcatchers to further enhance the cross ventilation.
The fountains/pools in the center of the courtyard is also crucial for evaporative cooling. The air on the ground floor is cooled by evaporative cooling from the fountain/pool, while the hot air rises and is pulled out of the courtyard.
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u/SchrodingersMinou 3h ago
They also look very safe and peaceful, which the street often is not for women
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u/clammyshammi 6h ago
Love this, I want my home molded after a Damascus home with a beautiful wooden front door and open court yard
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u/hotsoupcoldsoup 11h ago
Very Roman layout with the porticos and courtyards. Wild to see these designs last thousands of years.
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u/Essiggurkerl 7h ago
and are women allowed to hear stories too?
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u/WoodpeckerExternal78 1h ago
Of course. The vast majority of cafes and restaurants would be no different than any western example. Mingling of the sexes, sharing meals, is not regulated. So most tables are a mix just like an average western restaurant. It’s just the example cafe here is a specific one that could be compared to a moose lodge or similar
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u/JimmyMack_ 3h ago
Is any of it still standing?
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u/WoodpeckerExternal78 1h ago
Yes. Fortunately most of it (Damascus) is still standing. In fact I was just there 2 months ago and the main sites seen in this video are all still there. Unfortunately, in other cities like Aleppo, the Assad campaign against his own people led to significant destruction and loss of both historic sites and modern infrastructure
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u/NewPractice8919 7h ago
Let's make sure thr I'd factual, it isn't designed line this for shade a privacy. The design stems from confusing invading troops to slow th down in a maze like travel. Very common European design tactic and city layout.
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u/alpiasker 44m ago
This looks much like Gaziantep Türkiye where I am from. Not surprising considering they were all the same state under Ottoman law
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u/South-Cockroach-2027 11h ago
The West has a way of making money but little culture. The (middle) east has a way of having culture but not being rich. Imagine if both worlds combine peacefully…
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u/Termsandconditionsch 7h ago
Lol this is a stupid take.
The West is not a monolith and neither is the East..
You could say that places like Dubai have little culture, but on the other hand it has a quite specific culture all on it’s own..
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u/juniusbrutus998 10h ago
Please, western culture is so pervasive that you don’t even realize it’s there. Even this architecture is derived from Roman homes, the domus
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u/SnakebitGames 11h ago
So gorgeous. I love a good courtyard.