Damascus

Lore & Background

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, first settled in the 3rd millennium BC. It was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. According to some, Damascus is the fourth-holiest city in Islam. The city saw its importance decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. Today, it is the seat of the central government of Syria. The etymology of the ancient name T-ms-q.w is uncertain. In Arabic, the city is called Dimashq. The patterned Byzantine and Chinese silks available through Damascus gave the English language "damask."

In Their Own Story

The sun dipped low over the Barada River, casting long, amber shadows across the stone arches of Bab Tuma. In Souq al-Hamidiyya, an old merchant sat on a worn wooden stool outside his shop, his hands resting gently on bolts of saffron-dyed silk that seemed to hold the sunset itself. The air grew heavy with the intoxicating perfume of cardamom coffee and roasting lamb drifting from hidden courtyards. Above, the silhouette of the Umayyad Mosque's minaret sliced against the twilight, while the faint, haunting melody of an oud drifted through a heavy wooden door. A young traveler paused, breathless, as the bazaar erupted in a vibrant chaos: merchants in flowing robes haggling over spices, the rhythmic clatter of copper coppersmiths echoing off vaulted ceilings, and the soft murmur of prayers mixing with the bargaining cries—a living symphony where the past refuses to stay silent.

Reader's Guide

Damascus was built on a strategic site on a plateau above sea level and about inland from the Mediterranean, sheltered by the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, supplied with water by the Barada River, and at a crossroads between trade routes. The modern city has an area of , out of which is urban, while Jabal Qasioun occupies the rest. The old city lies on the south bank of the Barada. Suburbs include Midan, Sarouja, Imara, al-Salihiyah, al-Akrad, al-Muhajirin, al-Marjeh, Mezzeh, Dummar, Barzeh, and Yarmouk (home to many Palestinian refugees since 1956–1957). The Ghouta region is an irrigated farmland. Damascus has a cool arid climate (BWk) due to the rain shadow effect of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Annual rainfall is around , occurring from October to May.

Did You Know?

• Damascus is the oldest capital city in the world.
• The name of Damascus first appeared in the geographical list of Thutmose III in the 15th century BC.
• The Barada River flows through Damascus but is now almost dry due to rapid expansion.
• Damascus was named the least livable city out of 140 global cities in the Global Liveability Ranking during the Syrian civil war.
• In 2017, two development projects, Marota City and Basillia City, were launched to symbolize post-war reconstruction.