Qatana

Overview

Qatana lies 25 km southwest of Damascus on the plain beneath Mount Hermon (Jabal al-Sheikh), an old orchard and market town whose spring water and cool air made it a Damascene weekend escape long before the modern suburbs reached it.

History

Attested since the Roman period as a watered settlement on the road towards the Golan and Galilee, Qatana served as a French Mandate garrison town in the 1920s and 1930s. Its Ottoman-era core, springs and walnut groves survive between newer districts.

Highlights

• 01Views of Mount Hermon
• 02Springs and orchard belt
• 03Ottoman old quarter
• 04Weekly market

Major Attractions

• 01

  Mount Hermon panorama

  The 2,814 m massif rises to the southwest and keeps its snow into May — the defining view from the plain.

• 02

  Orchard and spring belt

  Walnut, vine and apricot terraces watered by karst springs on the edge of town.

• 03

  Old Qatana

  Ottoman stone houses, a historic mosque and the market street at the town's original core.

Traveller Tips

• ›Qatana is close to the Golan disengagement line — stay on main roads and carry documents.
• ›Best treated as a half-day loop from Damascus combined with the Hermon foothills.
• ›Friday is market day and the liveliest time to visit.

What to Eat

• Green walnuts

  Harvested young from the town's groves and preserved in syrup.

• Fresh dairy

  Village labneh and shanklish from the plain's dairy herds, sold in the market.

Other local flavours: Walnuts · Grapes · Fresh dairy · Damascene mezze

Where to Stay

• Damascus

  Base city

  Under an hour away; Qatana itself has minimal visitor accommodation.