Play

Damascus

Capital of SyriaAbout 80 km inland from the Mediterranean, Damascus sits in south-western Syria on a plateau about 680 m high, at the eastern foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. The Barada River flows through it, and farmland called the Ghouta surrounds it.

Why it's the capital

Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. From 661 to 750 it was the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, and in 1920 it was the capital of the short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria under King Faisal.

Fun facts

  1. The Umayyad Mosque, begun in 706, stands on the site of a Byzantine church of St John and kept the building's dedication to John the Baptist.
  2. The English word 'damask', for patterned silk, comes from the city's name.
  3. The Bible mentions a 'Street called Straight' in Damascus, and it leads to the Bab Sharqi gate.

Finding it on the globe

Start at Beirut on the coast and go inland to the east-south-east, across the mountains: Damascus is in the south-west corner of Syria, close to Lebanon.

Sources: Wikipedia: Damascus, Wikipedia: Arab Kingdom of Syria