About Damascus
1. Listen to Podcast About Damascus:
This podcast episode will provide you with the essential information you need to have a base knowledge about the city of Damascus's geographical location, history, area, population and density, language, food and some landmarks. So make sure you listen when you start planning your trip to Damascus!
This podcast episode will provide you with the essential information you need to have a base knowledge about the city of Damascus's geographical location, history, area, population and density, language, food and some landmarks. So make sure you listen when you start planning your trip to Damascus!
City Identity Card:1. LOCATION:
Damascus is located in the southwestern part of Syria, It sits within a fertile oasis on the eastern slopes of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. 2. GEOGRAPHIC BORDERS: The city is situated in a basin surrounded by the Anti-Lebanon mountains to the west and the desert to the east. The Barada River that passes through the City, played a vital role in the city's water supply historically. 3. SIGNIFICANCE IN HISTORY: Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the oldest capital City in the world, with a history spanning over 11,000 years. It has served as a major center for trade, culture, and politics throughout its long history with multiple successive civilisations passing through it. "It was the capital of the Umayyad Empire in 661, which extended from China in the east to Poitiers in south-eastern France in the west." (Alabrash, 2019) 4. AREA: The city of Damascus covers an area of approximately 105 square kilometers (40.6 square miles), making it one of the largest cities in Syria. 5. POPULATION AND DENSITY: Before the Syrian conflict, Damascus was one of the most populous cities in the country, with over 2 million residents. right now and based on an estimate in 2022, the population is 2.5million. 6. LANGUAGE: Arabic. 7. LANDMARKS: 1. Umayyad Mosque 2. Khan Assaad Pacha (my favorite) 3. Azem Palace 4. the Straight Street (Via Recta), an ancient Roman road mentioned in the Bible. 5. 7 gates of the Old City, Bab Touma and Bab Sharqui (The Eastern Gate) 5. Tkiyyeh Sulaymanyeh which is a Complex that was built under Sultan Sulayman's rule outside the old City on the Pilgrimage route. 8. ECONOMY: Before the conflict, Damascus had a diverse economy that included manufacturing, agriculture, and trade. The city was known for producing textiles, food products, and handicrafts. 9. GASTRONOMY: Damascus is renowned for its rich and flavourful Middle Eastern cuisine. Popular dishes include shawarma, falafel, kebabs, tabbouleh, Kebbeh, Hummus and baklawa. The city's food culture reflects its diverse and multicultural history. What you can definitely try on the streets: 1. Shawerma Wraps (Chicken or Meat) 2. Falafel Wraps 3. Fatayer & mana'ish (Cheese pies, Zaatar Manakish, Muhammara and cheese manakish) 4. the big croissant in the old City (Quemaryeh) Drinks: 1. Liquorice (arak Sous in arabic) 2. Ayran (Yogurt and Salt) 3. Lemon slush in the old city 4. Abu Abdo Cocktails in Salihiyyah Desserts: 1. Knafeh Nabulsiyeh 2. Mhallayeh (yogurt/milk based pudding) 3. Dried apricots 4. Aba'ib (don't know what it's called in English) 5. Sugar coated Chickpeas. 10. FLAG AND LOGO Damascus, like other Syrian cities, typically flies the national flag of Syria, which features three horizontal stripes of red, white, and black, with two green stars in the white stripe. The city may also use the Syrian national emblem, which includes two green ears of wheat, denoting agriculture, and a black hawk, representing Syria's strength. There's also a logo on wikipedia that includes a Jasmine flower over two areas in yellow and green with a blue line intersecting them, the blue represents the Barada River I'm assuming. |
Transcription of the Episode:(0:00) Hi, welcome to the second episode of About Cities podcast. (0:05) This episode is about the city where I was born and raised. (0:09) The city closest to my heart, Damascus. (0:13) If you don't know where Damascus is, shame on you. (0:16) I'm kidding of course, but in my opinion, everyone should have heard of it at least. (0:20) Not because of the war that was happening, but because it's one of the oldest continuously (0:25) inhabited cities in the world, according to the UNESCO World Heritage Center. (0:31) Based on the excavations that were done there in the 1960s, (0:36) they have found evidence that dates back to 8000 and 10,000 BC. (0:42) So it is the oldest capital in the world. (0:46) Now let's talk about its geographical location. (0:49) Damascus is the capital of Syria. (0:51) It is situated in the southwestern portion of Syria, within the fertile Barada river basin, (0:58) surrounded by the anti-Lebanon mountain range to the west, (1:02) Mount Kasyoun to the north, the Eastern Ghouta, which is some agricultural lands to the east, (1:08) and the extension of the city to the south. (1:12) It is 80 kilometers away from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, (1:17) situated on a plateau that is 680 meters above sea level. (1:23) This geographical location has given it all its importance throughout history, (1:28) because it was situated at the crossroad between the famous ancient trade routes, (1:34) which are the Silk Road connecting east and west, (1:38) Via Maris, a north-south route connecting Egypt with the northern regions of the Middle East, (1:44) the Incense Route connecting the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean Sea. (1:52) And to make it simpler, Damascus is at a two-hour drive east from Beirut, (1:57) three hours drive north from Amman, (2:00) eight hours drive west from Baghdad, (2:02) four and a half hours drive south from Aleppo. (2:06) The city has an area of 105 square kilometers, (2:10) out of which 77 square kilometers is urban, (2:14) while Mount Kassoun occupies the rest. (2:17) And the population is about 2.5 million inhabitants, (2:22) based on an estimate that was done in 2022. (2:26) And based on these numbers, (2:29) the population density in Damascus would be 23,800 people per square kilometer. (2:35) Unfortunately, in June 2023, (2:38) Damascus was named the least livable city out of 173 global cities (2:46) in the global livability ranking. (2:49) And the main official language in Damascus is Arabic. (2:53) Imagine that the name of Damascus first appeared (2:57) in the geographical list of Thutmose III in the 15th century BC. (3:04) And it was called Damask in Old Aramaic and Damasic in Biblical Hebrew. (3:14) The English and Latin name of the city was imported from the Greek Darmesic (3:20) and Darmusuk in Syriac, meaning a well-watered land. (3:26) In Arabic, we call it Dimashq. (3:29) But we also use another name, which is Sham, (3:34) which is an Arabic term that means the Levant or the historical region of Syria, (3:41) Bilad al-Sham, which means the lands on the left-hand side, (3:46) because it was named from the perspective of the people of the Hejaz region, (3:52) who considered themselves to be facing the rising sun. (3:56) And they saw that the Syrian region was positioned to their left. (4:02) That's why they called it Bilad al-Sham. (4:04) As I mentioned earlier, Damascus is very old. (4:09) Evidence dating back to 9000 BC exists around the Baradar Basin. (4:17) It is first documented as an important city during the arrival of the Arameans, (4:23) which are Semitic people in the 11th century BC. (4:29) After the Arameans came the Babylonians, (4:32) and then Alexander the Great conquered Damascus. (4:36) And after that, in 64 BC, the Romans occupied Damascus, (4:43) and they entirely redesigned the city based on the rectangular shape of the Roman city (4:49) with its two main axes. (4:52) Not much of the Roman architecture is still standing in Damascus, (4:57) but you can still see and admire the influence of how the old city was planned. (5:05) The Romans mixed together the Greek and Aramean elements (5:10) to create the new layout of the old city, covering about 1500 by 750 meters, (5:18) all surrounded by a city wall that has seven gates. (5:23) But only the eastern gate, which is called in Arabic Bab Shar'i, (5:29) is left from the Roman days. (5:32) It is believed that the Roman ruins of Damascus (5:37) are at depth of up to 5 meters below what is currently there. (5:42) And every time people excavate under the old city of Damascus, (5:48) people tend to often find Roman ruins. (5:53) And Damascus has a special place in early Christianity (5:58) because it was one of the earliest regions that embraced it. (6:02) Currently, you can visit one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. (6:08) It's called the House of Hanania or the Hanania Church, (6:13) which is located close to Bab Shar'i or the eastern gate to the old city of Damascus. (6:20) After the Roman's rule of Damascus, it was conquered by the Arab Muslims. (6:25) And under the Umayyad rule, (6:28) Damascus was established as the capital of the entire caliphate, (6:32) which was the golden era for the city. (6:35) And you can still see one of the most important monuments of the city (6:40) is the Grand Mosque of Damascus or the Umayyad Mosque, (6:45) which was completed in 715. (6:48) After that, the Abbasids continued, followed by the Mamluks and Mughal invasion. (6:54) And then the Ottomans ruled Damascus for the next 400 years. (7:00) And they built so many monuments in the city that you can still visit at this moment. (7:06) In 1920, the French took over Damascus and Syria, (7:11) and they ruled until the independence in 1946. (7:16) And right now, Damascus is recovering from a civil war that lasted more than 10 years. (7:22) Now let's jump to the fun stuff. (7:24) I was visiting Damascus in April 2023, and I loved it. (7:30) So I'll start by recommending three main monuments that you need to visit if you go there. (7:37) Starting first with the Umayyad Mosque, which I mentioned before, (7:41) which was first an Aramean temple. (7:45) And then it was the Roman temple of Jupiter. (7:49) And then it was later used as a Christian Byzantine church (7:53) that was later converted into the current mosque. (7:57) In order to reach the mosque, which is situated in the center of the old city, (8:02) I would recommend you walk through the Hamidiye Souk, (8:07) passing through the Bzuriye market, (8:09) which is where they sell all the spices and the sweets. (8:14) And next to it, you can visit Khan Asad Pasha and the Azam Palace. (8:19) And after visiting the Umayyad Mosque, you can leave the old city through the Eastern Gate (8:25) or the Gate of St. Thomas or Baptouma. (8:29) And outside the old city, there is the Kiye Suleymaniye complex, (8:33) which was built in the 1550s under Sultan Suleyman's rule. (8:39) Now for the food, some of the food that you can try on the streets of Damascus, (8:44) shawarma wraps, chicken or meat, falafel wraps, (8:47) manakish and cheese pies or fatayer and the big croissant in the old city. (8:55) Now for drinks, there's the licorice drink that is sold in the old city of Damascus. (9:01) Ayran, which is based on yogurt mixed with salt and garlic. (9:06) And in the summer, there's the lemon slush that is sold in the old city. (9:11) And for desserts, I recommend the knafeh and the mhalaye, which is a yogurt-based pudding. (9:19) And from the Bzuriye market in the old city, you can get the aba'ib, (9:24) some dried apricots or the sugar-coated chickpeas. (9:31) We reached the end of this episode. (9:34) I hope you enjoyed it and see you on the next one. |