Damascus

Damascus (Arabic Dimashq), is the capital of Syria and, with a population of 1,368,300 (2002), the largest city of the country[1]. The city is located in the south-west of Syria, in the oasis of Ghouta, and is halved by the Barada River. Damascus is one of the oldest cities of the world, being at least 4000 years old, and is rumored to be the oldest, continuously inhabited city of the world. During its existence, it had been part of numerous great empires of the antiquity. Just to name a few of them (chronologically): The Egyptians, the Hittite Empire, the Assyrian Empire, the Persian Empire, the Greeks, the Seleucids, the Roman Empire,…, and eventually the Ottoman Empire. In 1925-26, Damascus joined with the Druze in a rebellion against the French mandatory, but got severely damaged by French artillery.

There are several points of interest in Damascus, like the quadrangular Citadel of Damascus (originally built by the Romans; rebuilt 1219), the national museum (1919), or the Azm palace (1749).[2] The most famous one, though, might be the Great Mosque of Damascus, also called Umayyad Mosque. It's the oldest stone mosque that is still standing and was built between 705(AD) and 715(AD). The Arabas had to rebuild it, since it had been destroyed by the Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur in 1401.[3]

Damascus, courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus#/media/File:Courtyard2(js).jpg

[1] Lawson, Fred H.. "Damascus." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Damascus.aspx#1

[2] "Damascus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2015. Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Damascus.aspx#2

[3] "Great Mosque of Damascus." Encyclopædia Britannica. http://www.britannica.com/topic/Great-Mosque-of-Damascus