Alongside his intensive diplomatic engagements in Damascus, the capital of Syria, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also visited sites of historic and spiritual significance in the city.
Fidan’s stops included Damascus’ Umayyad Mosque, the Mausoleum of Saladin, and the Turkish Airmen’s Cemetery. He also visited the Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Mosque and Mausoleum, the Mausoleum of Mevlana Khalid al-Baghdadi, and the Sulaymaniyah Complex.
First stop: the Umayyad Mosque
Fidan visited the Umayyad Mosque, one of Damascus’ most important historic landmarks. Welcomed by officials and religious figures at the mosque, Fidan received information about the historic building and the work being carried out there.
He visited Saladin’s mausoleum
After the Umayyad Mosque, Fidan went to the Damascus mausoleum of Saladin, one of the important figures in Islamic history, where he prayed.
The message of preserving the shared historical and cultural heritage stood out during Fidan’s program in Damascus.
He commemorated the fallen at the Turkish Airmen’s Cemetery
Foreign Minister Fidan later visited the Turkish Airmen’s Cemetery in Damascus. He prayed at the graves of the martyred Turkish airmen and commemorated their memory.
“We will continue to stand by Syria”
In his assessment following his two-day visit to Syria, Fidan said they had observed that the streets of Damascus were beginning to regain peace and vitality.
Fidan said they were pleased that the Syrian people were building a secure, stable and prosperous country encompassing all segments of society, and stressed that Türkiye would continue to stand by Syria throughout this process.
Fidan’s engagements in Damascus also included meetings with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, and Interior Minister Anas Khattab. The meetings addressed Syria’s unity and territorial integrity, bilateral relations, and regional developments.
