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Damascus City Introduction

Damascus (Arabic: دمشق, English: Damascus), the capital of Syria and the second largest city in Syria, anciently known as Damascus, is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. In history, Damascus was the capital of the Umayyad dynasty of the Arab Empire, known as the “garden on earth” and “paradise on earth”.

For thousands of years, Damascus has been both a conqueror and a conqueror. It is the center of the rivalry between Eastern and Western powers. Destiny is often related to distant cities. People on the east coast of the Mediterranean and inland have nurtured and grown in various periods. The people here are not only Poor and rich, indomitable in the face of victory and disaster. Now a big city in the Middle East.

On January 1, 2019, the Chinese Embassy in Syria issued an announcement again reminding Chinese citizens to travel cautiously to Damascus, the capital of Syria in the near future, and not to travel to other parts of Syria for the time being. The announcement said the fighting in Syria is still ongoing. In Idlib, Raqqa, Hama, Deir ez-Zor and other areas, military conflicts between the Syrian government forces and terrorist organizations and armed opposition continued. Damascus and other areas controlled by the Syrian government have been repeatedly attacked by air strikes, and the security situation is uncertain.

Population Religion
In 1945, the population of Damascus was only 250,000. In 2009, it exceeded 1.71 million. In 2019, the population was 4.5 million, an increase of more than 15 times, mainly due to immigrants from rural areas, because the opportunities for employment and education here are higher, which also leads to an average The age is lower than that of the whole country. Religiously, Shiites from the Tarakia Mountains are prominent in the government, but the main group still believes in Sunnis. There are many Christians and Palestinians, but the once prosperous Jews have been left. Few.

Geography

Water and geography determine the location and role of Damascus, and early settlers were naturally drawn to a place where the Baillada River, originating in the East Lebanon Mountains of the former Lebanon Mountains, disappeared into the desert after covering a large area of ​​fertile oases. , this land, called Ghouta, has supplied a large population for thousands of years, Damascus was built on a platform, 690 meters above sea level, overlooking the Badara River, the original settlement appears to be located in the east of the old city, the city Developed along with the oasis, Damascus over time came to dominate the smaller settlements nearby.

Water is guaranteed, the land is fertile, and natural conditions make Damascus self-sufficient. Located on the edge of the desert and at the eastern end of the only shortcut to the former Lebanon Mountains, Damascus became a trading center where caravans departed and terminated. After the rise of Islam, Damascus was the starting point of the pilgrimage road to Muslim holy places in the Arabian Peninsula.

Climate

Damascus has a typical subtropical Mediterranean climate, with humid winters, little rain in summers, and short spring and autumn seasons. The annual average temperature is about 17 degrees Celsius, the lowest temperature is 0 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and the highest temperature is 40 degrees Celsius.

Although it is only 80 kilometers away from the sea, due to the barrier of two mountains, the average annual rainfall is only 178 mm, mostly from November to February of the following year. The total amount of rain and snow obtained by the former Mount Lebanon is much greater, the groundwater table is replenished every year, and it is a source of the Baillada River. Due to the high terrain, the winter is quite cold, with an average temperature of 5°C to 7°C. April is a short spring full of flowers, followed by 6-7 months of hot, dry summer. The average temperature in summer is about 27°C or more, but sometimes reaches 38°C. Dust-laden winds from the desert weakened over the small mountains.

Travelers to Damascus are impressed by the aspen, almond and nut orchards, olive groves and vegetable gardens that grow along the river. Ibn Battuta, an Arab traveler who arrived in Damascus in 1326, said that there are no words to describe the charm of the city. He quoted his ancestor Ibn al-Jubeir more than 100 years ago as saying that Damascus dresses itself with fragrant grass and flowers, surrounded by flowers. It’s a garden, like the moon…with a halo around it. A European traveler, Suchem wrote in 1350: “The city is surrounded by gardens and orchards, with pools, rivers, streams, and springs coming and going, cleverly arranged and refreshing.” World War II Later, Damascus still enjoys parks and gardens on an oasis, even though the city’s growth has increased the ratio of buildings to tree-filled spaces.

World record

The oldest capital in the world: Damascus in Syria, the oldest capital in the world, has been inhabited since 2500 BC.