The city is also known as aš-Šām by the citizens of Damascus, of Syria and other Arab neighbors and Turkey (Şam). Aš-Šām is an Arabic term for "Levant" and for "Syria"; the latter, and particularly the historical region of Syria, is called Bilād aš-Šām (بلاد الشام, lit. ' land of the Levant ').

Jan 25, 2025 · Damascus, city, capital of Syria. Located in the southwestern corner of the country, it has been called the “pearl of the East,” praised for its beauty and lushness; the 10th-century traveler and geographer al-Maqdisī lauded the city as ranking among the four earthly paradises.

3 days ago · A deadly car bomb attack near northern Syria’s Manbij has suspended negotiations between the Damascus interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), two sources familiar with the ...

Dec 7, 2024 · Syrian rebels have declared the capital Damascus “liberated” after entering the city to scant resistance from regime forces, while claiming President Bashar al-Assad has fled the capital,...

4 days ago · DAMASCUS, Syria — The residents of one Damascus suburb say that all one needs to do to find dead bodies there is dig. They say the bones belong to people executed by forces associated with Syria ...

Jan 5, 2025 · Across Damascus, as in much of the country, Syrians are reclaiming, and in some cases embracing anew, spaces and freedoms that had been off limits for years under the Assad regime.

Dec 9, 2024 · LONDON -- The stunning collapse of President Bashar Assad's regime in Syria presents "a moment of historic opportunity," President Joe Biden wrote on X on Sunday, as rebel fighters and Damascenes celebrated the end of their 14-year war against the authoritarian government. But, the president added, "It is also a moment of risk and uncertainty."

Dec 10, 2024 · In just two weeks, rebel forces tore across Syria, shattering the stalemate left by more than a decade of civil war and bringing an end to more than five decades of brutal rule by the Assad...

Jul 4, 2023 · Damascus, the capital of Syria, holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, with a history dating back over 11,000 years. Damascus is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, owing to its immense historical and cultural significance.

Jan 29, 2025 · Damascus was the seat of the sultan’s deputy in Syria, with a miniature court fashioned after that of Cairo. The economy recovered quickly after the Mongol withdrawal in 1260, and it was booming by the beginning of the 14th century, particularly during the governorate of Tankiz (1312–40).