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Damascus is the capital of Syria. It used to have a population of just under two million. However, in 2011, a civil war began. Because of the war, you don’t know how many there are today. Many people have left the city and are on the run.
Damascus is located in a dry area at the foot of Mount Jabal Qasyun. There is the oasis of Ghuta, which is watered by the Barada River. This oasis was important for the emergence of such a large city.
The city of Damascus is about 5,000 years old. In the second millennium BC, it was conquered by the Egyptians. The first mention of the city under the name Tamasqu dates back to this period. Later, the Egyptians lost large parts of Syria and present-day Palestine to the Arameans. Damascus then became the center of the Aramaic kingdom of Aram-Damascus.
In the following centuries, the city was conquered many more times. Among others by the Persians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans. The Roman emperor Trajan had a road built from Damascus to the Red Sea in the first century AD. As a result, Damascus became an important trading city. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Damascus belonged to the Byzantine Empire for several centuries.
In the Middle Ages, the city became Muslim and the capital of the huge Omajyad Empire, which stretched from Pakistan to Morocco. The Omajyads were a powerful family from the Arab people of the Quraysh. The Prophet Muhammad also came from this people. The Omayyads expelled many Christians who had lived there for centuries and turned the Basilica of St. John into the Omayyad Mosque.
From the beginning of modern times, the Ottomans ruled over Syria for many centuries. In the First World War, the Ottomans were among the losers. At an international meeting in Italy, Syria was awarded to the French, who turned it into a mandated territory. It is similar to a colony. After the Second World War, Syria became independent and Damascus became its capital.
What is Damascus called today?
Where is Damascus located now?
What is Damascus Syria famous for?
Is Damascus in Syria or Israel?
