Bawabet Dimashq

The Bawabet Dimashq (Arabic: بوابة دمشق, romanized: Bawābat Dimashq, lit. 'Damascus Gate'), is a family owned restaurant in Damascus, Syria, that opened in 2002 but closed in 2011 due to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war until 2018, after the success of the Rif Dimashq offensive by the Syrian Army, it was reopened.[1] It is the largest restaurant in the world, as listed by the Guinness World Records.[2]

ANNA newsreel from 2014 shows the abandoned compound during the Syrian Civil War in 2014.

The structure cost $40 million to construct and is owned by Shaker al Samman. The restaurant has a 54,000 sq-m dining area, 2,500 sq-m kitchen, can serve 6,014 people,[3][2] and during peak operation, 1,800 staff are employed. The restaurant has features such as waterfalls, fountains, replicas of archaeological ruins of Syria, and six culinary themed sections for Indian, Chinese, Arab, Iranian, Middle Eastern, and Syrian Cuisine. The restaurant received the title as the largest restaurant in the world by the Guinness World Records on May 29, 2008,[4] taking the title from the Mang Gorn Luang or Royal Dragon restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand, which caters to up to 5,000 diners.[5]

  1. ^ "Do you know that the largest restaurant in the world is in Damascus?". SANA. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Largest restaurant". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2022-12-17.
  3. ^ "Does size matter?". The Guardian. 2008-06-18. Archived from the original on 2018-07-09.
  4. ^ "Guinness Book of Records". Archived from the original on 2010-11-23. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  5. ^ BBC News