Damascus

[caroline]

DAMASCUS

Damascus is an exceptional example of the timelessness and universality of a great city. A modern capital whose voice - discreet but assured, moderate but yet not lacking in feeling - is having a decisive effect in the Arab World and in the Mediterranean area today, Damascus is said to be "the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world". Damascus is mentioned in the earliest historic texts - Egyptian records of the 19th century BC, and the archives of Mari, dating from the 25th century BC Further back, history gives way to legend and speaks of "Dimachq ach-Sham", the "town of Shem", son of Noah. Legend too, gives way to poetry, in which it is said that when Christ returns to Earth to do battle with the Anti-Christ, he will make his way down by the highest minaret of the Umayyad Mosque. Damascus, capital of Syria, is a distinguished city which charms the visitor with its old quarters and its modern aspect. Here the old and the new are side by side ; archaeological remains hundred of years old and ultra-modern Europeans style buildings. Damascus was formerly a fortified city, mention of which is found in Egyptian texts of the eighteenth dynasty and even in Assyrian tablets, as well as in Genesis. Besides being the administrative and political capital of Syria, Damascus is the economic capital of Syria, where banks and other leading commercial and industrial companies have their head offices. In addition, the city is an important university, artistic and tourist center. Damascus owes everything to the river Barada. Descending like a torrent from the Anti-Lebanon range, this narrow river, joined by a hundred smaller streams, cascades down the gorges of Ain Al-Fijeh. Then it meanders for a while beside the Beirut road, giving pleasure to the patrons of restaurants and cafes along its lush green banks, before losing itself in myriad branches, canals and ditches. These gardens, fields and orchards, the oasis from which Damascus gets much of its food.
Damascus offers you the following attractive places to visit and see :
The Old City within the famous ancient walls.
The Holy Shrine of Sayida Zeinab.
The magnificent Umayaad Mosque.
Saladin's Memorial and the Museum of Epigraph.
The Azem Palace and the Popular Arts.
The Chapel of Annanias.
Al-Takieh Al-Suleimaniya, an Ottoman transplant.
The Artisans Bazaars.
The Covered Bazaars (Al-Hamidieh).
The street called Straight.
The national Museum of Damascus.
The Historical and Army Museum.