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Historic Street

Street Called Straight (Via Recta)

VEE-uh REK-tuh · Modern Medhat Pasha Street / Bab Sharqi Street, Damascus, Syria · Also called Street Called Straight, Via Recta, Straight Street · 33.5092° N, 36.3114° E

The old Roman decumanus maximus of Damascus, running roughly 1,500 meters east-west through the Old City. In Acts 9:11, the Lord tells Ananias to go to "the street called Straight" to find Saul of Tarsus, praying in the house of Judas, so that his sight could be restored. Today the western half is called Midhat Pasha Street and the eastern half Bab Sharqi Street, and it remains a functioning market street.

Archaeology

The Roman street's colonnaded plan and monumental arch (partially reconstructed near the Bab Sharqi end) have been documented since 19th-century surveys and confirmed by 20th-century excavation of column bases beneath the modern street level. The Roman-era alignment and width are well established archaeologically; the specific house of Judas mentioned in Acts is not archaeologically identifiable and its location is a matter of tradition rather than excavation.