أسوار مدينة دمشق في كتابات الحجاج الأوروبيين: القرن الرابع عشر-مطلع القرن السادس عشر

Abstract EN

Throughout history, the walls of Damascus underwent a series changes and additions, playing a fundamental role in the defence of the city and the protection of its inhabitants.

From the sixth century onwards, European pilgrims visited Damascus and gave precise descriptions of the city, devoting parts of their writings describing its walls.

From the end of the fourteenth century, the pilgrims' interest in the walls increased, and stories about them circulated in European circles, especially during the mid-fifteenth century.

What were the reasons for the European pilgrims' interest in Damascus? Why did its walls figure prominently in their accounts? And what information did European pilgrims provide about the walls of Damascus which was not mentioned by other contemporary sources, notably in the Arabic language?