| Damascus دمشق |
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| Nickname: (Al-Fayhaa) The Fragrant City | |||
  Damascus
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| Country | Syria | ||
| Governorates | Damascus Governorate | ||
| Government | |||
| - Governor | Bishr Al Sabban | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 573 km² (221. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Syria has fourteen Governorates or muhafazat (singular Muhafazah) Damascus Governorate ( Arabic: مُحافظة دمشق is one of the 14 governorates (provinces of Syria and consists of only the city of Damascus A governor is a governing official usually the executive (at least nominally to different degrees also politically and administratively of a non-sovereign level of government Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 2 sq mi) | ||
| - Metro | 1,200 km² (463. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 3 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 600 m (1,969 ft) | ||
| Population (2007) | |||
| - City | 1,669,000 (~6,500,000 metro. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit area) | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Demonym | Damascene | ||
| Website: eDamascus | |||
Damascus (Arabic: دمشق, transliteration: Dimashq, also commonly known as الشام ash-Shām) is the capital and largest city of Syria. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time Daylight saving time ( DST Eastern European Summer Time ( EEST) is one of the names of UTC+3 Time zone, 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+3 is used in the following locations Moscow Time Eastern European Summer Time West Asian Summer Time Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Different approaches and methods for the Romanization of Arabic exist Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world (see section: Ancient history), before Al Fayyum, and Gaziantep. Faiyum ( Arabic: الفيوم Coptic:) is a city in Middle Egypt and the capital of the Faiyum Governorate. Its current population is estimated at about 1. 67 million. The city is a governorate by itself, and the capital of the governorate of Rif Dimashq (Rural Damascus). A Governorate is an Administrative division of a country It is headed by a Governor.
Name
In Arabic, the city is called دمشق الشام Dimashq ash-Shām. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Although this is often shortened to either Dimashq or ash-Shām by many, the citizens of Damascus, and of Syria and some other Arab neighbors, colloquially call the city ash-Shām. Ash-Shām is an Arabic term for north and for Syria. This is about the direction for other uses see North (disambiguation. (Syria — particularly historical Greater Syria — is called Bilād ash-Shām — بلاد الشام, 'land of the north' — in Arabic, or 'land of Shem (son of Noah)' — in Arabic, but with Shem being from the native Syriac language. Greater Syria (سوريّة الكبرى also known (in a historic context simply as Syria, is a term that denotes a historic region in the Middle East bordering ) The etymology of the ancient name 'Damascus' is uncertain, but it is suspected to be pre-Semitic. Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time The Semitic languages are a Language family whose living representatives are spoken by more than 467 million people across much of the Middle East, It is attested as Dimašqa in Akkadian, T-ms-ḳw in Egyptian, Dammaśq (דמשק) in Old Aramaic and Dammeśeq (דמשק) in Biblical Hebrew. Egyptian is an Afro-Asiatic language most closely related to the Berber, Semitic, Somali and Beja languages Aramaic is a Semitic language with Biblical Hebrew, also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language in which the Hebrew Bible and various Israelite inscriptions The Assadian spelling is the earliest attestation, found in the Amarna letters, from the 14th century BC. The Amarna letters (sometimes "Amarna correspondence" or "Amarna tablets" are an archive of correspondence on Clay tablets mostly diplomatic Later Aramaic spellings of the name often include an intrusive resh (letter r), perhaps influenced by the root dr, meaning 'dwelling'. for the town in Nepal see Resh Nepal Resh is the twentieth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician Thus, the Qumranic Darmeśeq (דרמשק), and Darmsûq (ܕܪܡܣܘܩ) in Syriac. For the country that features in Yes Minister, see here. Qumran (خربة قمران חירבת קומראן Khirbet Qumran See Syriac (disambiguation for other uses Syriac (syr ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ leššānā Suryāyā) is an Eastern Aramaic language [1][2]
Geography
Damascus lies about 80 km (50 mi) inland from the Mediterranean Sea, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. The Anti-Lebanon mountains, is the Western name for the Eastern Lebanon Mountain Range ( Arabic: جبال لبنان الشرقية)which are a northeast-trending It lies on a plateau 680 metres (2,200 ft) above sea-level.
The old city of Damascus, enclosed by the city walls, lies on the south bank of the river Barada. The Barada ( بردى, Chrysorrhoas) is the main river of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. To the south-east, north and north-east it is surrounded by suburban areas whose history stretches back to the Middle Ages: Midan in the south-west, Sarouja and Imara in the north and north-west. Sarouja ( ساروجة) is a subdivision of Damascus, Syria. These districts originally arose on roads leading out of the city, near the tombs of religious figures. In the nineteenth century outlying villages developed on the slopes of Jabal Qasioun, overlooking the city, already the site of the Salihiyye district centred around the important shrine of Sheikh Muhi al-Din ibn Arabi. Mount Qasioun ( جبل قاسيون, transliterated as Jabal Qasioun) is a mountain overlooking the city of Damascus, Syria. TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Ibn Arabi (ابن عربي ( July 28, 1165 - November 10, 1240) was an These new districts were initially settled by Kurdish soldiery and Muslim refugees from the European regions of the Ottoman Empire which had fallen under Christian rule Thus they were known as al-Akrad (the Kurds) and al-Muhajirin (the migrants). They lay two to three kilometres (2 mi) north of the old city.
From the late nineteenth century on, a modern administrative and commercial centre began to spring up to the west of the old city, around the Barada, centred on the area known as al-merjeh or the meadow. Al-Merjeh soon became the name of what was initially the central square of modern Damascus, with the city hall on it. The courts of justice, post office and railway station stood on higher ground slightly to the south. A Europeanised residential quarter soon began to be built on the road leading between al-Merjeh and Salihiyye. The commercial and administrative centre of the new city gradually shifted northwards slightly towards this area.
In the twentieth century, newer suburbs developed north of the Barada, and to some extent to the south, invading the Ghouta oasis. From 1955 the new district of Yarmouk became a second home to thousands of Palestinian refugees. City planners preferred to preserve the Ghouta as far as possible, and in the later twentieth century some of the main areas of development were to the north, in the western Mezze district and most recently along the Barada valley in Dumar in the northwest and on the slopes of the mountains at Berze in the north-east. Poorer areas, often built without official approval, have mostly developed south of the main city.
Damascus is surrounded by an oasis, the Ghouta region (الغوطة al-ġūṭä), watered by the Barada. In Geography, an oasis (plural oases) or Cienega ( Southwestern United States) is an isolated area of vegetation in a Desert, typically The Fijeh spring, west along the Barada valley, provides the city with drinking water. The Ghouta oasis has been decreasing in size with the rapid expansion of housing and industry in the city. It has also become polluted due to the city's traffic, industry, and sewage.
Climate
Damascus' climate is semi arid, due to rain shadow effect of Anti-Lebanon mountain. For the Australian television series see Rain Shadow (TV series. Summers are hot with less humidity. Winters are cool and rainy or snowy. January Maximum & Minimum Temperatures are 11 °C (52 °F) and 0 °C (32 °F), lowest ever recorded are −13. 5 °C (8 °F), The summer July and August Maximum & Minimum Temperature are 35 °C (95 °F) and 17 °C (63 °F), Highest ever recorded are 45. 5 °C (113. 9 °F), Annual rainfall around 20 cm (8 in), occur from November to March. [3]
| Weather averages for Damascus | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 11 (53) | 13 (57) | 17 (64) | 23 (74) | 28 (84) | 33 (92) | 35 (96) | 35 (96) | 32 (91) | 27 (81) | 19 (67) | 13 (56) | 24 (62) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 0 (33) | 2 (36) | 4 (40) | 7 (46) | 11 (52) | 14 (58) | 16 (62) | 17 (63) | 13 (57) | 9 (49) | 4 (40) | 1 (35) | 8 (48) |
| Precipitation cm (inches) | 3 (1. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric 5) | 3 (1. 3) | 2 (0. 9) | 1 (0. 5) | 0 (0. 2) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0. 4) | 2 (1) | 4 (1. 7) | 19 (7. 6) |
| Source: Weatherbase[3] 2008 | |||||||||||||
History
| Ancient City of Damascus* | |
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| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
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| State Party |  Syria |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv, vi |
| Reference | 20 |
| Region† | Arab States |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
| * Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO. |
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Ancient history
Excavations at Tell Ramad on the outskirts of the city have demonstrated that Damascus has been inhabited as early as 6,000 to 5,000 BC. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex It is due to this that Damascus is considered to be among the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. However, Damascus is not documented as an important city until the coming of the Aramaeans, Semitic nomads who arrived from the Arabian peninsula. The Aramaeans (also Arameans) ( Aramaic / Syriac: ܐܪܡܝܐ, Ārāmāye' were a Semitic (West Semitic language group The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) It is known that it was the Aramaeans who first established the water distribution system of Damascus by constructing canals and tunnels which maximized the efficiency of the Barada river. The same network was later improved by the Romans and the Umayyads, and still forms the basis of the water system of the old part of Damascus today. It was mentioned in Genesis 14 as existing at the time of the War of the Kings. Chedorlaomer ( Hebrew:; Tiberian vocalization: Kəḏorlāʻōmer LXX: Khodollogomór) is the name of the main figure in a narrative within
According to the 1st century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in his twenty-one volume Antiquities of the Jews, Damascus (along with Trachonitis), was founded by Uz, the son of Aram. Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Appears in Scripture only in the phrase "tes Itouraias kai Trachbnitidos choras" literally "of the Iturean and Trachonian region" ( Luke 31 Uz is one of the sons of Aram son of Shem, according to the Table of nations of Genesis 10 in the Hebrew Bible. Aram (אֲרָם or ʾĂrām was a son of Shem, according to the Table of Nations in Genesis 10 of the Hebrew Bible, as well as the father of Elsewhere, he states:
Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "Abraham reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land above Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans: but, after a long time, he got him up, and removed from that country also, with his people, and went into the land then called the land of Canaan, but now the land of Judea, and this when his posterity were become a multitude; as to which posterity of his, we relate their history in another work. Nicolaus of Damascus ( Greek, Nikolāos Damaskēnos) was a Syrian Historian and Philosopher who lived during the Augustan Abraham ( Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom; ابراهيم, {{Unicode|Ibrāhīm}}; Ge'ez: Now the name of Abraham is even still famous in the country of Damascus; and there is shown a village named from him, The Habitation of Abraham.
Damascus is designated as having been part of the ancient province of Amurru in the Hyksos Kingdom, from 1720 to 1570 BC. A province is a territorial unit almost always an Administrative division. Amurru (or Martu) are names given in Akkadian and Sumerian texts to the god of the Amorite /Amurru people often forming part of personal The Hyksos ( Egyptian heqa khasewet, "foreign rulers" Greek,, Arabic,) were an Asiatic people who invaded the eastern Nile (MacMillan, pp. 30-31). Some of the earliest Egyptian records are from the 1350 BC Amarna letters, when Damascus-(called Dimasqu) was ruled by king Biryawaza. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Amarna letters (sometimes "Amarna correspondence" or "Amarna tablets" are an archive of correspondence on Clay tablets mostly diplomatic Biryawaza was king of Damascus in the middle fourteenth century BC In 1100 BC, the city became the center of a powerful Aramaean state called Aram Damascus. Aram Damascus was an Aramaean state centered around Damascus in Syria, from the late 12th century BCE to 734 BCE The Kings of Aram Damascus were involved in many wars in the area against the Assyrians and the Israelites. The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. See also History of ancient Israel and Judah According to the Bible, the Israelites were the dominant group living in the Land of Israel. One of the Kings, Ben-Hadad II, fought Shalmaneser III at the Battle of Qarqar. Hadadezer (" Hadad is my help" also known as Adad-Idri ( Assyr Shalmaneser III ( Šulmānu-ašarēdu, "the god Shulmanu is pre-eminent" was king of Assyria (859 BC-824 BC and son of the previous ruler The Battle of Karkar (or Qarqar) was fought in 853 BC when the army of Assyria, led by king Shalmaneser III, encountered an allied army The ruins of the Aramean town most probably lie under the eastern part of the old walled city. After Tiglath-Pileser III captured and destroyed the city in 732 BC, it lost its independence for hundreds of years, and it fell to the Neo-Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar starting in 572 BC. Tiglath-Pileser III (from the Hebraic form of Akkadian: Tukultī-apil-Ešarra, "my trust is in the son of Esharra" was a prominent king The term Neo-Babylonian or Chaldean refers to Babylonia under the rule of the 11th ("Chaldean" dynasty from the revolt of Nabopolassar Nebuchadrezzar II, more often called Nebuchadnezzar (c 630-562 BC was a ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, who reigned c The Babylonian rule of the city came to an end in 538 BC when the Persians under Cyrus captured the city and made it the capital of the Persian province of Syria.
Greco-Roman
Damascus first came under western control with the giant campaign of Alexander the Great that swept through the near east. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, Damascus became the site of a struggle between the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires. The Seleucid Empire /sə'lusɪd/ ( 312 - 63 BC) was a Hellenistic empire i The Ptolemaic dynasty (sometimes also known as the Lagids, from the name of Ptolemy I's father Lagus) was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family The control of the city passed frequently from one empire to the other. Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander's generals, had made Antioch the capital of his vast empire, a decision that led Damascus' importance to decline compared with the newly founded Seleucid cities such as Latakia in the north. Seleucus I (surnamed for later generations Nicator, Greek: Σέλευκος Νικάτωρ, i Antioch on the Orontes (Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Δάφνῃ Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ Μεγάλη Antiochia ad Orontem also Latakia or Latakiyah (اللاذقية Al-Ladhiqiyah, Λαοδικεία transliterated as Laodicea, Laodikeia or Laodiceia,
In 64 BC, the Roman general Pompey annexed the western part of Syria. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation The Romans occupied Damascus and subsequently incorporated it into the league of ten cities known as the Decapolis because it was considered such an important center of Greco-Roman culture. The Decapolis ( Greek: deka, ten polis, city was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Jordan According to the New Testament, St. Paul was on the road to Damascus when he received a vision, was struck blind and as a result converted to Christianity. Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings In the year 37, Roman Emperor Caligula transferred Damascus into Nabataean control by decree. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31 AD 12 &ndash January 24 AD 41 more commonly known by his nickname Caligula (kəˈlɪɡjʊlə was a Roman Emperor The Nabataeans ( Arabic: الأنباط, Al-Anbāṭ) were an ancient Semitic people Arabs of southern Jordan, Canaan The Nabataean king Aretas IV Philopatris ruled Damascus from his capital Petra. Aretas IV Philopatris was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40 Petra (from "petra" rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء Al-Batrāʾ) is an archaeological site in the Arabah However, around the year 106, Nabataea was conquered by the Romans, and Damascus returned to Roman control.
Damascus became a metropolis by the beginning of the second century and in 222 it was upgraded to a colonia by the Emperor Septimius Severus. Lucius Septimius Severus (or rarely Severus I) ( April 11 145 - February 4 211) was a Roman general and Roman Emperor During the Pax Romana, Damascus and the Roman province of Syria in general began to prosper. Pax Romana ( Latin for " Roman Peace " was the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force Damascus's importance as a caravan city was evident with the trade routes from southern Arabia, Palmyra, Petra, and the silk routes from China all converging on it. The Arabian Peninsula (in Arabic: شبه الجزيرة العربية šibh al-jazīra al-ʻarabīya or جزيرة العرب jazīrat al-ʻarab) Palmyra ( Arabic: تدمر Tadmor) was in ancient times an important city of central Syria, located in an Oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus Petra (from "petra" rock in Greek; Arabic: البتراء Al-Batrāʾ) is an archaeological site in the Arabah The city satisfied the Roman demands for eastern luxuries.
Little remains of the architecture of the Romans, but the town planning of the old city did have a lasting effect. The Roman architects brought together the Greek and Aramaean foundations of the city and fused them into a new layout measuring approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) by 750 metres (2,500 ft), surrounded by a city wall. The city wall contained seven gates, but only the eastern gate (Bab Sharqi) remains from the Roman period. Roman Damascus lies mostly at depths of up to five meters (16. 4 ft) below the modern city.
The old borough of Bab Tuma was developed at the end of the Roman/Byzantine era by the local Eastern Orthodox community. Bab Tuma ( Arabic, باب توما) (Saint Thomas’s Gate is the oldest Borough of Damascus itself the oldest city in the world and The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world According to the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Paul and Saint Thomas both lived in that neighborhood. The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. Roman Catholic historians also consider Bab Tuma to be the birthplace of several Popes such as John V and Gregory III. Bab Tuma ( Arabic, باب توما) (Saint Thomas’s Gate is the oldest Borough of Damascus itself the oldest city in the world and While the term " Pope " ( Latin: papa "father'" is used in several Churches to denote their high spiritual leaders ( e Gregory III (died November 29, 741) was Pope from 731 to 741 A Syrian by birth he succeeded Gregory II in March 731
From the Muslim conquest to the Fatimids
Damascus was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate forces in 634 A. The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Ummayad Mosque' ( Arabic: جامع بني أمية الكبير transl Damascus was conquered by the Rashidun army after a siege lasting about one month from 21 August to 19 September 634 AD D. Immediately thereafter, the city's power and prestige reached its peak when it became the capital of the Umayyad Empire, which extended from Spain to India from 661 to 750. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country In 744, the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II, moved the capital to Harran in the Jazira,[4] and Damascus was never to regain the political prominence it had held in that period. Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II (688-750 (Arabic مروان بن محمد بن مروان بن الحكم was an Umayyad Caliph who ruled For other uses see the disambiguation Jazira. Al-Jazira ( Arabic, الجزيرة is the traditional Arabic name for the modern-day regions of northwestern
After the fall of the Umayyads and the establishment of the Abbasid caliphate in 750, Damascus was ruled from Baghdad, although in 858 al-Mutawakkil briefly established his residence there with the intention of transferring his capital there from Samarra. Baghdad (بغداد) is the Capital of Iraq and of Baghdad Governorate, with which it is also coterminous Al-Mutawakkil ˤAlā Allāh Jaˤfar ibn al-Muˤtasim ( Arabic المتوكل على الله جعفر بن المعتصم; March 821 &ndash December 861 was an Sāmarrā ( Arabic, سامَرّاء) is a city in Iraq. It stands on the east bank of the Tigris However, he soon abandoned the idea. As the Abbasid caliphate declined, Damascus suffered from the prevailing instability, and came under the control of local dynasties. In 875 the ruler of Egypt, Ahmad ibn Tulun, took the city, with Abbasid control being re-established only in 905. Ahmad ibn Tulun or Ahmad ibn Ṭūlūn (September 835 &ndash March 884 was the founder of the Tulunid dynasty that ruled Egypt briefly between 868 and In 945 the Hamdanids took Damascus, and not long after it passed into the hands of Muhammad bin Tughj, founder of the Ikhshidid dynasty. The Hamdanid dynasty (حمدانيون was a Muslim Arab dynasty of northern Iraq ( Al-Jazirah) and Syria (890- 1004) Muhammad bin Tughj Al-Ikhshid (محمد بن طغج الإخشيد in Arabic) (882 - 946 (also Transliterated Mohamed Ben Taghj and many other ways was The Ikhshidid dynasty of Egypt (sometimes Transliterated other ways ruled from 935 to 969. In 968 and again in 971 the city was briefly captured by the Qaramita. The Qarmatians, Arabic Qarāmita قرامطة (also spelled "Carmathians" "Qarmathians" "Karmathians" etc
Fatimids, the Crusades and the Seljuks
In 970, the Fatimid Caliphs in Cairo gained control of Damascus. Cairo () which means "the Vanquisher" or "the Triumphant" is the capital and largest city of Egypt. This was to usher in a turbulent period in the city's history, as the Berber troops who formed the backbone of the Fatimid forces became deeply unpopular among its citizens. The presence in Syria of the Qaramita and occasionally of Turkish military bands added to the constant pressure from the Bedouin. The Bedouin, (from the Arabic (ar بدوي pl badū) are a desert-dwelling Arab Nomadic pastoralist, or previously For a brief period from 978, Damascus was self-governing, under the leadership of a certain Qassam and protected by a citizen militia. However, the Ghouta was ravaged by the Bedouin and after a Turkish-led campaign the city once again surrendered to Fatimid rule. From 1029 to 1041 the Turkish military leader Anushtakin was governor of Damascus under the Fatimid caliph Al-Zahir, and did much to restore the city's prosperity. For the Abbasid Caliph see Az-Zahir. ˤAlī az-Zāhir ( 20 June 1005 &ndash 13 June 1036)
It appears that during this period the slow transformation of Damascus from a Graeco-Roman city layout - characterised by blocks of insulae — to a more familiar Islamic pattern took place: the grid of straight streets changed to a pattern of narrow streets, with most residents living inside harat closed off at night by heavy wooden gates to protect against criminals and the exactions of the soldiery. In Roman architecture, insulae (singular Insula) were large Apartment buildings where the lower and middle classes of Romans (the Plebs
With the arrival of the Seljuk Turks in the late 11th century, Damascus again became the capital of independent states. The Seljuq (also Seljuq Turks, Seldjuks, Seldjuqs, Seljuks; in Turkish Selçuklular; in Ṣaljūqīyān; in It was ruled by a Seljuk dynasty from 1079 to 1104, and then by another Turkish dynasty - the Burid Emirs, who withstood a siege of the city during the Second Crusade in 1148 . The Burid dynasty was a Turkish dynasty which ruled over Damascus in the early 12th century The Siege of Damascus took place over four days in July 1148 during the Second Crusade. The Second Crusade (1147&ndash1149 was the second major Crusade launched from Europe, called in 1145 in response to the fall of the County of Edessa the In 1154 Damascus was conquered from the Burids by the famous Zengid Atabeg Nur ad-Din of Aleppo, the great foe of the Crusaders. The Zengid (or Zangid) dynasty was a Muslim Dynasty of Turkish origin which ruled parts of Northern Iraq and Syria during For other meanings see Aleppo (disambiguation. Halab redirects here for other meanings see Halab (disambiguation. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents He made it his capital, and following his death, it was acquired by Saladin, the ruler of Egypt, who also made it his capital. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سهلاحهدین ئهیوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c Saladin rebuilt the citadel, and it is reported that under his rule the suburbs were as extensive as the city itself. It is reported by Ibn Jubayr that during the time of Saladin, Damascus welcomed seekers of knowledge and industrious youth from around the world, who arrived for the sake of "undistracted study and seclusion" in Damascus' many colleges. Ibn Jubayr (1145-1217 ابن جبير) was an geographer, traveler and poet from Al-Andalus Biography Early life Born in
In the years following Saladin's death in 1193, there were frequent conflicts between different Ayyubid sultans ruling in Damascus and Cairo. The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid Dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origins which ruled Egypt, Syria, Yemen (except for Damascus was the capital of independent Ayyubid rulers between 1193 and 1201, from 1218 to 1238, from 1239 to 1245, and from 1250 to 1260. At other times it was ruled by the Ayyubid rulers of Egypt. Damascus steel gained a legendary reputation among the Crusaders, and patterned steel is still "damascened". Damascus steel is a hot- forged Steel used in Middle Eastern Swordmaking from about 1100 to 1700 AD The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents The patterned Byzantine and Chinese silks available through Damascus, one of the Western termini of the Silk Road, gave the English language "damask". The Silk Road, or Silk Routes, are an extensive interconnected network of Trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East South and Western Asia with the
Mamluk rule
Ayyubid rule (and independence) came to an end with the Mongol invasion of Syria in 1260, and following the Mongol defeat at Ain Jalut in the same year, Damascus became a provincial capital of the Mamluk Empire, ruled from Egypt, following the Mongol withdrawal. The Battle of Ain Jalut (or Ayn Jalut, in Arabic ar عين جالوت the "Eye of Goliath" or the "Spring of Goliath" took place on 3 September 1260 between
Timurlane
In 1400 Timur, the Turco-Mongol conqueror, besieged Damascus. Timur also written Emir Timur or Amir Temur ( Chagatai: تیمور - Tēmōr " Iron " (1336 – 19 February 1405 among Altaic peoples are peoples who speak the Altaic languages. Their looks differ from east to west The Mamluk sultan dispatched a deputation from Cairo, including Ibn Khaldun, who negotiated with him, but after their withdrawal he put the city to sack. Ibn Khaldūn or Ibn Khaldoun (full name أبو زيد عبد الرحمن بن محمد بن خلدون,, ( May 27, 1332 AD/732 AH &ndash March 19 The Umayyad Mosque was burnt and men and women taken into slavery. A huge number of the city's artisans were taken to Timur's capital at Samarkand. Samarkand (Samarqand Самарқанд سمرقند UniPers: "Samarqand" is the second-largest city in Uzbekistan and the capital of These were the luckier citizens: many were slaughtered and their heads piled up in a field outside the north-east corner of the walls, where a city square still bears the name burj al-ruus, originally "the tower of heads".
Rebuilt, Damascus continued to serve as a Mamluk provincial capital until 1516 .
The Ottoman conquest
In early 1516, the Ottoman Turks, wary of the danger of an alliance between the Mamluks and the Persian Safavids, started a campaign of conquest against the Mamluk sultanate. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz On 21 September, the Mamluk governor of Damascus fled the city, and on 2 October the khutba in the Umayyad mosque was pronounced in the name of Selim I. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule Khutbah ( Arabic: (خطبة khuṭbah) serves as the primary formal occasion for public preaching in the Islamic tradition Selim I ( Ottoman: سليم الأول, Turkish: ISelim; also known as "the Grim" or "the Brave" Yavuz in The day after, the victorious sultan entered the city, staying for three months. On 15 December, he left Damascus by Bab al-Jabiya, intent on the conquest of Egypt. Events 533 - Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals, commanded by King Gelimer, at the Battle of Little appeared to have changed in the city: one army had simply replaced another. However, on his return in October 1517, the sultan ordered the construction of a mosque, taqiyya and mausoleum at the shrine of Shaikh Muhi al-Din ibn Arabi in Salihiyya. Persecution of Shia MuslimsWithin Shi'ite Islamic tradition the concept of Taqiyya (تقية - 'fear guard against' refers to a dispensation allowing believers to conceal TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Ibn Arabi (ابن عربي ( July 28, 1165 - November 10, 1240) was an This was to be the first of Damascus' great Ottoman monuments.
The Ottomans remained for the next 400 years, except for a brief occupation by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt from 1832 to 1840 . This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Because of its importance as the point of departure for one of the two great Hajj caravans to Mecca, Damascus was treated with more attention by the Porte than its size might have warranted — for most of this period, Aleppo was more populous and commercially more important. The Hajj (حج is a pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah It is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world Mecca ˈmɛkə also spelled Makkah ˈmækə (in full Makkah Al-Mukarramah (Arabic mækːæ(t ælmʊkarˑamæ مكّة المكرمة, literally Honored Ottoman Porte (also Sublime Porte, High Porte, or in Ottoman Turkish, Bab-ı Ali) used to refer to the Divan (court For other meanings see Aleppo (disambiguation. Halab redirects here for other meanings see Halab (disambiguation. In 1560 the Taqiyya al-Sulaimaniyya, a mosque and khan for pilgrims on the road to Mecca, was completed to a design by the famous Ottoman architect Sinan, and soon afterwards a madrasa was built adjoining it. A caravanserai ( kārvānsarā, Turkish kervansaray) was a roadside Inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey Koca Mi‘mār Sinān Āġā ( Ottoman Turkish: خوجه معمار سنان آغا ( April 15, 1489 - April 09, "Madrasa" and "Medrese" redirect here For the village in Azerbaijan see Mədrəsə.
Perhaps the most notorious incident of these centuries was the massacre of Christians in 1860, when fighting between Druze (most probably supported by foreign countries to weaken the economical power) and Maronites in Mount Lebanon spilled over into the city. The Druze ( Arabic: درزي derzī or durzī, plural دروز durūz) are a religious community found primarily in Syria, Lebanon Maronites ( الموارنة,, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Syriac Mount Lebanon ( Arabic: جبل لبنان as a geographic designation is the Lebanese mountain range known as the Western Mountain Range of Lebanon Some thousands of Christians were killed, with many more being saved through the intervention of the Algerian exile Abd al-Qadir and his soldiers (three days after the massacre started), who brought them to safety in Abd al-Qadir's residence and the citadel. `Abd al-Qādir al-Jazā'irī ( 6 September, 1808 - 26 May, 1883, in Arabic عبد القادر الجزائري was an The Christian quarter of the old city (mostly inhabited by Catholics), including a number of churches, was burnt down. The Christian inhabitants of the notoriously poor and refractory Midan district outside the walls (mostly Orthodox) were, however, protected by their Muslim neighbours.
Rise of Arab nationalism
In the early years of the twentieth century, nationalist sentiment in Damascus, initially cultural in its interest, began to take a political colouring, largely in reaction to the turkicisation programme of the Committee of Union and Progress government established in Istanbul in 1908 . Turkification is a term used to describe a process of cultural change in which something or someone who is not a Turk becomes one voluntarily or by force The Committee of Union and Progress (CUP (İttihat ve Terakki Cemiyeti initially a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" (İttihad-ı Osmanî Cemiyeti The hanging of a number of patriotic intellectuals by Jamal Pasha, governor of Damascus, in Beirut and Damascus in 1915 and 1916 further stoked nationalist feeling, and in 1918, as the forces of the Arab Revolt and the British army approached, residents fired on the retreating Turkish troops. The Arab Revolt (1916&ndash1918 ( الثورة العربية Al-Thawra al-`Arabīya) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.
Modern
On 1 October 1918, the forces of the Arab revolt led by Nuri as-Said entered Damascus. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Arab Revolt (1916&ndash1918 ( الثورة العربية Al-Thawra al-`Arabīya) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein ibn Ali with the aim of securing Nuri al-Said (1888 &ndash July 15, 1958) (نوري السعيد was an Iraqi politician during the British Mandate and the monarchy The same day, Australian soldiers from the 4th and 10th Light Horse Regiments reinforced with detachments from the British Yeomanry Mounted Division entered the city and accepted its surrender from the Turkish appointed Governor Emir Said (installed as Governor the previous afternoon by the retreating Turkish Commander)[1][2]. The Yeomanry Mounted Division was a Territorial Army Cavalry division formed in Palestine in mid-1917 from three Yeomanry mounted brigades A military government under Shukri Pasha was named. Other British forces including T. E. Lawrence followed later that day, and Faisal ibn Hussein was proclaimed king of Syria. Faisal bin Al Hussein Bin Ali El-Hashemi, GCB, GCMG ( فيصل بن حسين Fayṣal ibn Ḥusayn; 20 May 1883 &ndash September 8 Political tension rose in November 1917, when the new Bolshevik government in Russia revealed the Sykes-Picot Agreement whereby Britain and France had arranged to partition the Arab east between them. The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists ( Большевик Большевист (singular, derived from bolshe, "more" were a faction Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending A new Franco-British proclamation on 17 November promised the "complete and definitive freeing of the peoples so long oppressed by the Turks. " The Syrian Congress in March adopted a democratic constitution. However, the Versailles Conference had granted France a mandate over Syria, and in 1920 a French army crossed the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, defeated a small Syrian defensive expedition at the Battle of Maysalun and entered Damascus. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. A League of Nations mandate refers to a legal status for certain territories transferred from the control of one country to another following World War I. The Battle of Maysalun, also called The Battle of Maysalun Pass, took place between Syrian and French forces about 12 miles west of Damascus The French made Damascus capital of their League of Nations Mandate of Syria. The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920
When in 1925 the Druze revolt in the Hauran spread to Damascus, the French suppressed it brutally, bombing and shelling the city. Syriancorpsejpg|thumb|Dead bodies of Syrian rebels killed by the French Army in 1925 and placed in Marjeh Square Hauran, also Hawran or Houran, ( حوران, is the southwestern region of modern-day Syria, it extends to the far northwestern region of modern-day The area of the old city between Souk al-Hamidiyya and Souk Midhat Pasha was burned to the ground, with many deaths, and has since then been known as al-Hariqa ("the fire"). Al-Hamidiyah Souk ( سوق الحميدية) is the largest and the central Souk in the Syrian capital Damascus. The old city was surrounded with barbed wire to prevent rebels infiltrating from the Ghouta, and a new road was built outside the northern ramparts to facilitate the movement of armoured cars.
On 21 June 1941, Damascus was captured from the Vichy French forces by the Allies during the Syria-Lebanon campaign. Events 524 - Godomar, King of the Burgundians defeats the Franks at the Battle of Vézeronce. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 The Syria-Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French -controlled Syria and Lebanon
In 1945 the French once more bombed Damascus, but on this occasion British forces intervened and the French agreed to withdraw, thus leading to the full independence of Syria in 1946 . Damascus remained the capital.
Prophecy concerning Damascus
Isaiah 17:1 in the Hebrew Bible states that Damascus will become a heap of ruins: "An oracle concerning Damascus. Isaiah (; Greek:, Ēsaiās; Arabic: اشعیاء, Ash-ee-yaa; "Salvation of/is YHWH " is The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written in Biblical Hebrew (and the related Biblical Aramaic Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city and will become a heap of ruins. " this is also stated in Jeremiah 49, Zechariah 9
Historical sites
Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city's history. Since the city has been built up with every passing occupation, it has become almost impossible to excavate all the ruins of Damascus that lie up to 8 feet (2. 4 m) below the modern level. The Citadel of Damascus is located in the northwest corner of the Old City. The Street Called Straight (referred to in the conversion of St. Paul in Acts 9:11), also known as the Via Recta, was the decumanus (East-West main street) of Roman Damascus, and extended for over 1,500 metres (4,900 ft). The Street Called Straight (Via Recta الشارع المستقيم is the Roman street that runs from east to west in the old city of Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and The Acts of the Apostles is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. The Street Called Straight (Via Recta الشارع المستقيم is the Roman street that runs from east to west in the old city of In Roman city planning, a decumanus was an east-west-oriented road in a Roman city Castra (military camp or colonia. Today, it consists of the street of Bab Sharqi and the Souk Medhat Pasha, a covered market. The Bab Sharqi street is filled with small shops and leads to the old Christian quarter of Bab Tuma (St. Thomas's Gate). Souk Medhat Pasha is also a main market in Damascus and was named after Medhat Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Syria who renovated the Souk. MidhatPashaVanityFairjpg|thumb|Mithat Pasha on the cover of Vanity Fair, June 30, 1877. At the end of the Bab Sharqi street, one reaches the House of Ananias, an underground chapel that was the cellar of Ananias's house.
The Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, is one of the largest mosques in the world, and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Ummayad Mosque' ( Arabic: جامع بني أمية الكبير transl A shrine in the mosque is said to contain the head of John the Baptist. Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. The mausoleum where Saladin was buried is located in the gardens just outside the mosque. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سهلاحهدین ئهیوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c
A heavily visited site is the tomb of Zaynab bint Ali. Zaynab bint Ali ( زينب بنت علي) was the daughter of the last caliph of Islam Ali (Ali ibn Abu Talib and granddaughter of Islamic prophet Hundreds of thousands of Shia Muslims visit it every year.
The walls and gates of Damascus
The Old City of Damascus is surrounded by ramparts on the northern and eastern sides and part of the southern side. There are seven extant city gates, the oldest of which dates back to the Roman period. These are, clockwise from the north of the citadel:
- Bab al-Faraj ("the gate of deliverance"),
- Bab al-Faradis ("the gate of the orchards", or "of the paradise")
- Bab al-Salam ("the gate of peace"), all on the north boundary of the Old City
- Bab Tuma ("Touma" or "Thomas's Gate") in the north-east corner, leading into the Christian quarter of the same name,
- Bab Sharqi ("eastern gate") in the east wall, the only one to retain its Roman plan
- Bab Kisan in the south-east, from which tradition holds that Saint Paul made his escape from Damascus, lowered from the ramparts in a basket; this gate is now closed and a chapel marking the event has been built into the structure,
- Bab al-Jabiya at the entrance to Souk Midhat Pasha, in the south-west. Bab al-Faraj (باب الفرج ( The Gate of Deliverance) is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria. Bab al-Faradis (باب الفراديس ( The Gate of the Paradise) or Bab al-Amara is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria Bab al-Salam (باب السلام ( The Gate of Peace) is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria Bab Tuma ( Arabic, باب توما) (Saint Thomas’s Gate is the oldest Borough of Damascus itself the oldest city in the world and Bab Sharqi (باب شرقي ( The Eastern Gate) is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria. Bab Kisan ( Arabic, باب كيسان)( The Kisan Gate) is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria. The Chapel of Saint Paul is a modern stone chapel in Damascus that incorporates materials from the Bab Kisan, the ancient city gate through which Paul was lowered Bab al-Jabiya (باب الجابية is one of the seven ancient city-gates of Damascus, Syria.
Two other areas outside the walled city also bear the name "gate": Bab Mousalla and Bab Sreija, both to the south-west of the walled city.
Churches in the old city
- Damascus' Cathedral.
- Virgin Mary's Cathedral.
- Saint Ananias' house. Ananias (disambiguation Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, were according to the Acts of the Apostles, members of the Early Christian church
- Chapel of Saint Paul. The Chapel of Saint Paul is a modern stone chapel in Damascus that incorporates materials from the Bab Kisan, the ancient city gate through which Paul was lowered
- The Roman Catholic Cathedral in Zaitoon (Olive) Alley.
- The Damascene Saint Johan church.
- Saint Paul's Laura.
- Saint Georgeus's sanctuary.
Islamic sites in the old city
- Umayyad Mosque. The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Ummayad Mosque' ( Arabic: جامع بني أمية الكبير transl
- Roukiyyah Mosque.
- Saladin Shrine. Salahadin Ayyubi ( Arabic:صلاح الدين يوسف بن أيوب Kurdish: سهلاحهدین ئهیوبی Selah'edînê Eyubî; c
- Bilal al-Habashi Shrine.
Damascene schools
- Al-Adiliyah School. al-Adiliyah School or al-Madrasah al-Adiliyah (المدرسة العادلية is a Madrasah located in Damascus, Syria.
- Al-Zahiriyah School. The Az-Zahiriyah library in Damascus Syria dates back to 1277, taking its name from its founder Sultan Baibars (1223 - 1277
Threats to the future of the old City
Due to the rapid decline of the population of Old Damascus (between 1995-2005 more than 20,000 people moved out of the old city for more modern accommodation), a growing number of buildings are being abandoned or are falling into disrepair. In March 2007, the local government announced that it would be demolishing Old City buildings along a 1,400-metre (4,600 ft) stretch of rampart walls as part of a redevelopment scheme. These factors resulted in the Old City being placed by the World Monuments Fund on its 2008 Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world. The World Monuments Fund (WMF is a New York -based private Non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic Architecture and It is hoped that its inclusion on the list will draw more public awareness to these significant threats to the future of the historic Old City of Damascus.
Subdivisions
Damascus is divided into many districts. Among them there are:
- Salhiyyeh
- Amara
- Midan
- Qanawat
- Baramkah
- Mazraa
- Mazzeh
- Muhajreen
- Shaghoor
- Tijara
- Abbasiyyin
- Bahsa
- Barzeh
- Abou Remaneh
- Sha'alan
- Malki
- Kafar Souseh
- Rukn Eddeen
- Sarouja
- Jobar
Education
Damascus is the main center of education in Syria. Sarouja ( ساروجة) is a subdivision of Damascus, Syria. It is home to Damascus University, which is the oldest and by far the largest university in Syria. The University of Damascus ( جامعة دمشق, Jāmi‘atu Dimashq) is the largest University in After the enactment of legislation allowing private secondary institutions, several new universities were established in the city and in the surrounding area.
Universities
- Damascus University
- Syrian Virtual University
- International University for Science and Technology
- Higher Institute of Business Administration (HIBA)
- Higher Institute of Applied Science and Technology (HIAST)
- Arab European University
- National Institute of Administration
Transportation
The main airport is Damascus International Airport, approximately 20 km (12 mi) away from the city center, with connections to many Asian, Europe, African, and recently, South American cities. The University of Damascus ( جامعة دمشق, Jāmi‘atu Dimashq) is the largest University in The Syrian Virtual University (الجامعة الإفتراضيّة السوريّة is a Syrian educational institution established by the Syrian Ministry of Higher Education × International University for Science and Technology (IUST الجامعة الدولية الخاصة للعلوم والتكنولوجيا is a private university located in Damascus International Airport ( Arabic, مطار دمشق الدولي is a public Airport located in Damascus, the capital of Syria. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a Streets in Damascus are often narrow, mostly in the older parts of the city, and speed bumps are widely used to limit the speed.
Public transport in Damascus depends extensively on minibuses. "Microbus" redirects here For the Volkswagen Microbus see Volkswagen Type 2. There are about one hundred lines that operate inside the city and some of them extend from the city center to nearby suburbs. There is no schedule for the lines, and due to the limited number of official bus stops, buses will usually stop wherever a passenger needs to get on or off. A bus stop is a designated place where a Public transport Bus stops for the purpose of allowing passengers to board or leave a bus The number of buses serving the same line is relatively high, which minimizes the waiting time. Lines are not numbered, rather they are given captions mostly indicating the two end points and possibly an important station along the line.
Al-Hijaz railway station, lies in the city center. Currently this station is closed, and railway connections with other cities take place in a suburb.
Since the early 1990s, there have been many plans to construct an underground system in Damascus, but no plan was taken seriously due to both financial and technical limitations.
Culture
People
The majority of the population in Damascus came as a result of rural-urban migration. It is believed that the local people of Damascus, called Damascene, are about 1. 5 million. Damascus is considered by most people to be a very safe city. Haggling is common, especially in the traditional souks. Haggling is politely arguing as told in some circles Optimally if it costs the retailer nothing to engage and allow haggling he can divine the buyer's willingness to spend Corruption is widespread, but in the past few years there have been aims at combating it, by both the government and non-governmental organizations. Tea, Mate (popular caffeinated beverage made from Yerba mate), and Turkish Coffee are the most common beverages in Damascus. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Turkish coffee (see name and variants for other names is coffee prepared by boiling finely powdered roast coffee beans in a pot ( Cezve) possibly with
Religion
The majority of Damascenes - about 75 % - are Sunni Muslims. Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam. Sunni Islam is also referred to as Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘h (Arabic A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion It is believed that there are more than two thousand mosques in Damascus, the most famous one being the Umayyad Mosque. The Grand Mosque of Damascus, also known as the Ummayad Mosque' ( Arabic: جامع بني أمية الكبير transl There are some Christian districts, such as Bab Tuma, Kassaa, and Ghassani, with many churches, most notably the ancient St. Paul's Church. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Bab Tuma ( Arabic, باب توما) (Saint Thomas’s Gate is the oldest Borough of Damascus itself the oldest city in the world and A church building is a Building or Structure whose primary purpose is to facilitate the meeting of a church.
Museums
- Damascus National Museum
- Azem Palace
- Military Museum
- Museum of Arabic Calligraphy
Leisure activities
Parks and gardens
Tishreen Park is by far the largest park in Damascus. Azm Palace ( قصر العظم) is a palace in Damascus, Syria which was originally built in 1750 as a residence for the Ottoman governor of Damascus For the mountain formation see Minarets (California. Minarets ( Arabic manara (lighthouse منارة but more usually مئذنة It is home to the yearly held Damascus Flower Show. Other parks include Aljahiz, Al sibbki, Altijara and Alwahda.
Damascus oasis is also a popular destination for recreation. Ghouta ( غوطة دمشق,) also known as Damascus Ghouta Ghouta Ghuta Ghutah Valley Ghutat Dimashq Ghūţat Dimashq Oasis of Damascus Plain of Damascus Rhota or Rhouta
Cafe culture
Cafes are popular meeting spots for Damascene, where Arghilehs (water pipes) and popular beverages are served. A hookah (हुक़्क़ा حقّہ hukkah) is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based water pipe for Smoking. Card games, Tables (backgammon variants), and chess are common in these cafes. A card game is any Game using Playing cards either traditional or game-specific Tables is a general name given to a class of Board games similar to Backgammon, played on a board with two rows of 12 vertical markings called "points" Backgammon is a Board game for two players in which the playing pieces are moved according to the roll of Dice. Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players.
Sports
Popular sports include football, basketball, swimming and table tennis. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance Damascus is home to many sports clubs, such as:
Nearby attractions
Born in Damascus
- Nicolaus of Damascus (historian and philosopher)
- John of Damascus (676-749) Christian saint
- Ananias (Christian disciple involved in healing and preaching to Paul the Apostle)
- Sophronius (Patriarch of Jerusalem)
- Muna Wassef ( A Movie Star, and a United Nations Goodwill ambassador. Al-Jaish (الجيش is a football club based in Damascus, Syria, founded in 1947. Al-Wahda ( الوحدة) is a Syrian football club based in Damascus. The Barada ( بردى, Chrysorrhoas) is the main river of Damascus, the capital city of Syria. Madaya ( مضايا) is a small mountainous town in Syria, located at an altitude of 1608 meters Nicolaus of Damascus ( Greek, Nikolāos Damaskēnos) was a Syrian Historian and Philosopher who lived during the Augustan Chrysorrhoas redirects here For the river see Barada. Saint John of Damascus ( Arabic: يوحنا الدمشقي Ananias (disambiguation Ananias, and his wife Sapphira, were according to the Acts of the Apostles, members of the Early Christian church Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and For the Bulgarian enlightener see Sophronius of Vratsa. Sophronius (born 560 in Damascus - died March 11, 638 Muna Wassef (Mona Wassef Mouna Wasef (منى واصف The legendary Movie Star, is a well known Syrian actress For other uses including various songs titled "Movie Star" see Movie star (disambiguation. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security )
- Damascius (Byzantine philosopher)
- Yasser Seirawan (chess player)
- Ahmed Kuftaro (former grand mufti of Syria)
- Ikram Antaki (Mexican writer)
- Ghada al-Samman (novelist)
- Nizar Qabbani (poet)
- Michel Aflaq (political thinker and co-founder of the Baath Party)
- Salah al-Din al-Bitar (political thinker and co-founder of the Baath Party)
- Constantin Zureiq (academic and Arab nationalist intellectual)
- Zakaria Tamer (writer)
- Distinguished Professor Aziz Al-Azmeh (academic, PhD in Oriental Studies)
- Nazir Ismail (Artist)
Town twinning (sister cities)
Further reading
Current state of old DamascusIn spite of the recommendations of UNESCO, World Heritage Center:[3]
References
External linksMaps
Photography
Information
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