Souk Sarouja
The Souk Sarouja was a market quarter in Damascus during the 12th century which was located in the southern part of the city's Rich District, just next to the Umayyad Mosque. It held the reputation of being the largest market in the Holy Land, and was split into two separate structures that ran from west to east, and north to south.[1] Together with the mosque, it lay to the west of the city's local Assassin Bureau.[2]
History[edit | edit source]
When the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad came to Damascus in 1191 to eliminate the Merchant King, Abu'l Nuqoud, the Bureau's Rafiq directed him to the Souk Sarouja as one of three places, alongside the Umayyad Mosque and Citadel of Saladin, well suited to gathering information on his target.[2]
Moving through the market, Altaïr overheard a man named Marzuq entrust a courier with a letter to be carried to a certain Hisham at Salāḥ ad-Dīn's camp. The Assassin followed the courier and stole the document, which revealed that Abu'l Nuqoud had been directing funds to Majd Addin in Jerusalem and William of Montferrat in Acre, all while squandering the people's coin on lavish feasts held within his palace.[3]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
-
The western entrance of the souk -
The inner souk
