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DIMASHQ / DAMASCUS
DIMASHQ ( DAMASCUS ) , THE CAPITAL
OF SYRIA , IS THE OLDEST CONTINUOUSLY INHABITED CITY IN THE WORLD .
THE EARLIEST TO THE
CITY APPEARED IN EBLA TABLETS WHICH CONFIRMED THAT *DAMESKI * ( I.E DAMASCUS )
EXISTED IN THE THIRD MILLENNIUM B.C SINCE THEN THE CITY HAS OCCUPIED A PROMINENT
IN THE HISTORY. IT BECAME THE CENTRE OF AN ARAMAIC KINGDOM DURING THE 2ND
MILLENNIUM B.C IN THE ROMAN ERA. DAMASCUS WAS FIRST AMONG THE TEN MOST PROMINENT
CITIES . THEN IT BECAME THE CENTRE OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH, WHERE SAINT PAUL
LIVED . IT WITNESSED REMARKABLE PROSPERITY AND A NUMBER OF CHURCHES AND
MONASTERIES WERE BUILD IN IT , SOME OF WHICH HAVE SURVIVED TO THE PRESENT DAY.
THE YEAR 661 A.D MARKED THE
BEGINNING OF THE GOLDEN EPOCH FOR DIMASHQ ( DAMASCUS ) , WHEN IT BECAME THE
CAPITAL OF THE OMAYYAD STATE AND FOR A WHOLE CENTURY IT WAS THE CENTRE OF THE
YOUTHFUL ISLAMIC EMPIRE, STRETCHING FROM THE BORDERS OF CHINA TO THE SOUTH OF
FRANCE . THE OMAYYADS TOOK GENUINE INTEREST IN BUILDING THE CITY , ORGANIZING
ITS SOUQS, STREETS, GHOUTA AND ERECTING PALACES, HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS IN IT .
FOLLOWING THE FALL OF THE OMAYYADS,
THE CITY WENT THROUGH PERIODS OF DETERIORATION AND PROSPERITY IN THE ABBASSIDS,
THE FATEMITE , THE AYOUBITE, THE MAMLUK AND THE OTTOMAN PERIODS AND EVEN DURING
THE FRANCH MANDATE.
AFTER INDEPENDENCE WAS ACHIEVED IN
1946 , THE CITY STARTED TO REGAIN ITS IMPORTANCE AS A SIGNIFICANT NATIONAL AND
CULTURAL CENTRE IN THE ARAB WORLD . IT WAS NAMED , AND RIGHTLY SO, THE BEATING
HEART OF THE ARAB NATION.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TOURISTIC SITES
IN DAMASCUS ARE :
-THE ANCIENT WALL AND GATES
THE WALL WAS BUILT IN THE ROMAN
ERA . THERE ARE SEVEN GATES IN … IT : BAB SHARQI .. BAB JABIEH… BAB KISSAN ….
BAB SGHIR …. BAB TOUMA …. BAB ALJENIQ… AND BAB ALFARADISS. THE PART OF THE WALL
PRESERVING ITS ORIGINAL FORM IT STRETCHING FROM BAB KISSAN TO BAB TOUMA .
THE OMAYYAD MOSQUE :
IT STANDS AT THE HEART OF THE OLD
CITY, AND AT THE END OF SOUQ AL HAMIDYEH. IT WAS REBUILT BY THE OMAYYAD CALIPH
AL-WALID IBN ABDUL MALEK IN 705 A.D WHEN DIMASHQ WITNESSED ITS GOLDEN EPOCH AS
THE CAPITAL OF OMAYYED STATE. THE MOSQUE WAS CONSTRUCTED ON A SITE OF WHAT HAS
ALWAYS BEEN PALACE OF WORSHIP: FIRST A TEMPLE FOR HADAD , THE ARAMEAN GOD OF THE
ANCIENT ARAB SYRIAN THREE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, THEN A PAGAN TEMPLE IN THE ROMAN
ERA. IT WAS LATER TURNED INTO A CHURCH CALLED JOHN THE BAPTIST WHEN
CHRISTIANITY SPREAD IN THE FOURTH CENTURY , THEN IT WAS RESTORED AND BECAME THE
GREAT OMAYYAD MOSQUE.
THE AZEM PALACE :
IT ALSO STANDS IN THE HEART OF
THE OLD CITY AND ITS SOUQS, ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE OMAYYAD MOSQUE .. THE
PALACE WAS BUILT IN THE MID – EIGHTEENTH CENTURY FOR THE GOVERNOR OF DIMASHQ.
MASONS AND BUILDERS MADE OF THIS PALACE A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE DAMASCENE
ARCHITECTURE . THE PALACE NOW HOUSES THE MUSEUM OF ARTS AND POPULAR TRADITIONS .
QAL,AAT DIMASHQ ( DAMASCUS CITADEL
):
IT WAS ERECTED IN 1078 A.D BY THE
SELEUCIDS WHO BUILT HOUSES , BATHS, MOSQUES AND SCHOOLS INSIDE IT, SO IT BECAME
A CITY WITHIN A CITY . IT WAS REBUILT IN 1202 A.D BY AL MALEK AL-ADEL TO BECAME
A NEW CASTLE INCORPORATING THE LATEST INVENTIONS IN THE ISLAMIC ARCHITECTURE .
THE COVERED SOUQS :
THEY WERE BUILT DURING THE
OTTOMAN PERIOD , THE MOST IMPORTANT OF WHICH ARE : SOUQ AL HAMIDIYEH , SOUQ
MIDHAT PASHA , SOUQ AL HARIR AND SOUQ AL BZOURIEH .
OTHER SITES INCLUDE : HAMMAM AL
NOURY, BIMARISTAN AL NOURY. THE TOMB OF SALADIN AYOUBI, ST PAULS CHURCH , THE
NATIONAL MUSEUM , AL TAKIEH AL SULEIMANIYEH , DIMASHQ MUSEUM AND ST.HANANIAS CHURCH.
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