Damascus

I

Introduction

Damascus or Dimashq, capital and chief city of Syria, in south-western Syria on the Barada River, near the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, about 80 km (50 mi) from Beirut, the capital city of Lebanon. The greater part of Damascus, including the rectangular ancient city, is on the south bank of the Barada; modern suburbs extend from the north bank. Population 2,270,000 (1999 estimate).

II

Economy

Damascus has long been an important commercial centre. In former times it was famous for dried fruit, wine, wool, linens, and silks. Damask, a type of patterned cloth, gets its name from the silk fabrics woven in Damascus. The city was notable also for the manufacture and export of damascened steel sword blades, which were exceptionally hard and resilient. Today the city is the trading centre for figs, almonds, and other fruit grown in the surrounding region. Industries in Damascus include crafts such as the weaving of silk cloth and the making of leather goods, filigreed gold and silver objects, mother-of-pearl mosaics, and inlaid wooden, copper, and brass articles. Among the city's other manufactures are processed food, clothing, and printed material.

III

Places of Interest

The streets of the city, with the exception of the “street called Straight” (Acts 9:11), on which St Paul is supposed to have lived, are crooked and narrow. The houses frequently combine elaborate interior decoration with a plain and sombre exterior. The walls that give on to the street are usually without windows.

Damascus has more than 200 mosques, of which only 70 are still in use. Of these, the Umayyad Mosque, or Great Mosque, is the most important. Said to have been a pagan temple, it was converted into a Christian church at the end of the 4th century. It then contained what was believed to be the head of John the Baptist, and was named the Cathedral of St John. Other noteworthy mosques are the Sinani-yah, with a striking green-tiled minaret, and the Tekkeyah, which was founded in 1516 on the riverbank west of the city as a refuge for poor pilgrims. The National Library, the National Museum, and the University of Damascus (1923) are in the city. The old part of Damascus was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

IV

History

Damascus is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. According to 15th-century bc Egyptian inscriptions, it was the capital of a city-state. During biblical times the city was subjugated by David, king of Judah and Israel (see 2 Samuel 8:5-6; 1 Chronicles 18:5), and later engaged in warfare with Israel. In 732 bc Damascus was conquered by the Assyrians, under Tiglath-pileser III (reigned 745-727 bc), and in 333-32 bc it fell to Alexander the Great. After the death (323 bc) of Alexander, Damascus became part of the Seleucid Kingdom. It was conquered by Pompey the Great in 64 bc.

Christianity was introduced into Damascus during the 1st century ad, and the city became the seat of a bishopric. In 635 it was taken by the Muslims, and for a time before the foundation (762) of Baghdad, Damascus was the residence of the caliphs and was greatly adorned and fortified. In 1076 it was seized by the Seljuk Turks, and in 1154 it fell to the Egyptians. Damascus was the headquarters of Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, during the Third Crusade. In 1401 the Mongol conqueror Tamerlane pillaged and burned the city. It was soon rebuilt and in 1516 was wrested from Egypt by the Ottoman Turks. Damascus was returned to Egyptian rule by Ibrahim Pasha in 1832; in 1841, as part of Syria, it was restored to the Ottoman Empire. An uprising of the Muslim population in 1860 resulted in the destruction of the Christian quarter and the massacre of many Christians.

During World War I, Turko-German troops, directing their operations against the Suez Canal, were based in Damascus. In 1918 the city was captured by combined forces under Field Marshal Allenby and the Arab leader who became Faisal I, king of Iraq. Faisal later attempted to make Damascus the capital of an independent Arab state, and in March 1920 he was proclaimed king of Syria by a Syrian congress meeting in Damascus. In July, the French, who had been granted a mandate over Syria by the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers, occupied Damascus. In 1925-1927, during revolts of the Druze, a religious sect, against French rule, the French were twice driven out of Damascus, but each time reoccupied the city after heavy bombardments. Much of the city was ruined in the fighting, and many inhabitants were killed. Following the defeat (1940) of France by Germany in World War II, the pro-German Vichy government of France established in Damascus a colonial regime favourable to Germany. In 1941 a combined Allied force attacked Syria and took Damascus, which then became (1946) the capital of independent Syria.