Souq al-Hamiddiyyah is the largest and most central souq in Damascus. The souq is ideally located within the Old City walls and next to the Umayyad Mosque and the Citadel. This covered souq sells a multitude of daily items mostly marketed for the locals. It sells anything from clothes to beddings, from toys to made to order perfumes. It also boast numerous cheap food stalls and tea sellers ready to hand a cup of oriental tea. However one of the most famous stall is actually a well established ice cream cafe that would entice many travellers.
Bakdash is arguably one of the most famous ice cream parlour in the Arab world. The cafe is known widely for its pistachio hand made ice cream and attracts a large number of visitors through its doors everyday. Talking about visitors, I don’t really see many foreigners but mostly local families with their excited kids. The queue is always there and everyone is trying to grab their hands on these tastefully made ice creams. The taste topped with pistachio nuts is great but the texture is a bit elastic. The ingredient includes milk and sugar together along with mastic and salep, an agent made from the roots of an orchid.
The shop effectively greet visitors through its playful window display, showcasing how they make the ice creams. Once you’ve stepped inside the simple and dated interior, you will realised how proud the owners are about their achievements. Portraits of people including important figures are hung next to various certificate of excellence. Simple and good advertising.
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9 comments
Matt | YearAroundTheWorld says:
Dec 18, 2010
Wow!Man, I wantThat place looks great!
Amer says:
Dec 18, 2010
Yes Matt, it does taste quite good. It’s the busiest shop in the souq. You should go there if you’re in Damascus!
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Dec 19, 2010
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Dec 19, 2010
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Lisa E @chickybus says:
Dec 19, 2010
I had that same ice cream in Damascus over the summer at the same exact place in the Souq! It tasted good and was fun to have the experience…
I also like the homemade ice cream in Turkey known as “Dondurma,” which originated in the East. Great stuff!
Amer says:
Dec 19, 2010
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for visiting. Yes, it was a fun experience and its very cheap! The best bit is also tasted good. I need to try the Dondurma now..
Jill - Jack and Jill Travel The World says:
Jan 20, 2011
Ooooh yum. Do they also have pistachio ice cream flavored with rose water? That’s my favorite and I haven’t been able to find any place that sells a good one here in the Bay Area (Except one restaurant, but it’s expensive).
Amer says:
Jan 21, 2011
No I don’t think I saw any pistachio ice cream flavoured with rose water. By the sound of it, It would obviously be a better choice. But anyway, I just took the regular ice cream like everyone else
Mustafa says:
Feb 15, 2012
Turkish Maras Dondurmasi is a similar Icea Cream to Damaskus Ice Cream, bot have the same ingredients and the method of producing it is same but the Turkish mardin Ice Cream is much more harder and chewier than the bakdash.