Crowds gathered on Victoria Bridge in Damascus in the 1870s. They are picnicking on the banks of the River Barada, probably on a Friday. This bridge was removed in 1925 but the spot is still called Victoria Bridge. It was named after the nearby Victoria Hotel, which was also removed. The hotel was the largest tourist hotel in Syria, owned by Ahmad Izzat al-Abid, the private advisor to the Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II. The area seen in the picture is now completely covered in a broad avenue named Shukri al-Quwatli Street.
Source: www.mideastimage.com