Damascus

Capital of Syria, on the River Barada, 100 km/62 mi southeast of Beirut; population (2003 est) 1,545,600. It produces silk, wood products, textiles, brass, and copperware. Said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Damascus was an ancient city even in Old Testament times.

History
The Assyrians destroyed Damascus in about 733 BC. In 332 BC it fell to one of the generals of

Alexander the Great; and in 63 BC it came under Roman rule. In AD 635 it was taken by the Arabs, and has since been captured many times, by Egyptians, Mongolians, and Turks. In 1918, during World War I, it was taken from the Turks by the British with Arab aid, and in 1920 became the capital of French-mandated Syria.