Prior to its urbanization and integration into Damascus municipality al-Qadam was a village on the Hajj caravan road called al-Qadam al-Sharif (the Noble Foot).[3] It was named after a stone originally from Bosra where tradition holds an imprint was left of the foot of the Islamic prophet Muhammad when he visited the city.[3] The stone had been relocated from Bosra to a mosque in al-Qadam.[3]