Ancient City of Damascus
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How it came to be
Damascus lies in the Barada basin of south-western Syria. The city was founded in the 3rd millennium BC, and even older settlement remains have been found at nearby Tell Ramad. In the 10th century BC it became the capital of an Aramaean kingdom, and the Roman street grid still shapes the old city. Its east-west main street, the Street Called Straight, appears in the Book of Acts account of Paul's conversion.
From 661 to 750 Damascus was the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. Caliph al-Walid I began the Umayyad Mosque in 706 and completed it in 715. It stands on the site of a Roman temple and a later Christian basilica, and is counted among the oldest places of continuous prayer in the world.
Timur sacked the city on 17 March 1401 and carried many of its artisans off to Samarkand. The Ottomans ruled from 1516 for about 400 years, and much of the surviving architecture dates from their time. The walled city holds about 125 protected monuments, and on 20 June 2013 it was placed on the danger list together with Syria's five other World Heritage sites.
Travellers who came here
- 1867-09
He was taken ill at 4 a.m. on 15 September and spent the day in bed. He wrote in his notebook that he had seen enough of Damascus and left the city about noon on the 16th.
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