Al-Asali
العسالي | |
---|---|
Neighborhood | |
Coordinates: 33°27′59″N 36°17′9″E / 33.46639°N 36.28583°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Governorate | Damascus Governorate |
Subdistrict | Damascus |
Municipality | Qadam |
Population (2004) | |
• Total | 21,731 |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (EEST) |
Climate | BSk |
Al-Asali (Arabic: العسالي) is a neighborhood and district of the Qadam municipality in Damascus, Syria.[1][2] It had a population of 21,731 in the 2004 census.[3] The neighborhood was built around the small al-Asali maqam (shrine), named after Shaykh Ahmad al-Asali al-Khalwati, a local Muslim holy man.[4] The al-Asali shrine was a station in the annual Hajj pilgrim caravan, which came to an end in the early 20th century.[5] During the caravan procession, tents were set up around the shrine to host dignitaries and pilgrims before the caravan departed the city for Mecca.[5]