Maktab Anbar, Damascus (must see)

Maktab Anbar, an old house near the Umayyad Mosque and the Street Called Straight, was built as a private residence by a local Jewish figure, Mr. Anbar, in the mid-19th century. Due to high costs, he abandoned the project in 1887. The Ottomans, who then occupied Syria, completed it, adding two wings and converting it into a boys' school. The house was restored by the Ministry of Culture in 1976. It now hosts a library, museum and craft workshops.