Place Name
Damascus (دِمَشْق)Place Description
Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, situated in southwestern Syria among the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Located approximately 80 kilometers inland from the Mediterranean coast at an elevation of about 680 meters, the city is centered on the Barada River and its oasis, with the surrounding landscape shaped by the river's irrigation network and the arid conditions created by the rain-shadow of the Anti-Lebanon Mountains. Damascus has been a major political, commercial, cultural, and religious center of the Levant for millennia and is particularly associated with textile production, metalwork, leatherwork, and other crafts, while the fertile Ghouta surrounding the city was historically cultivated with orchards, vineyards, vegetables, olives, and grain.
Following the 1948 al-Nakba, Damascus became a significant place of exile and refuge for Palestinians displaced from their homes in Palestine. Large numbers of Palestinian refugees settled in and around the city, including in refugee camps such as Yarmouk, which developed into one of the largest Palestinian refugee communities in Syria and became an important center of Palestinian social, cultural, and political life.Also Known As
دِمَشْق, DimishqPlace Type
CityMap Coordinates
Latitude
33.5120Longitude
36.2780General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
BWB_ID:20Updated By
Wafa Ghnaim