Damascus information

Damascus is the capital of Syria and its largest city. Over one and a half million people live in Damascus and are at the centre of a much larger metropolitan area housing over four million people. Damascus is situated in the south west of Syria.

It is claimed that inhabitation of Damascus can be traced back to around 9000 BC; although no real evidence of large scale population can be recorded before 2000 BC. Historians still maintain that Damascus is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The history of Damascus includes periods like Aram-Damascus, Antiquity, the Islamic Arab era, the Seljuk and Ayyubid rule, the Mamluk period, the Ottoman rule stretching through to the, now, modern era.

Flights to Damascus
Etihad offers direct flights to Damascus in addition to indirect flights on a daily basis. Book flights to Damascus online.

Damascus attractions

The National Museum of Damascus
Display and collection of exhibits at the National Museum of Damascus began in 1919, although the current building was not finished until 1936. Further wings have been added to the museum, the first being constructed in 1956. The museum lies to the west of the city in between the Tekkiye Mosque and Damascus University. Exhibitions are ordered into 4 main sections at the museum; Islamic Age, Classical Age, Ancient Syria and Prehistoric Age.

Umayyad Mosque
Also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus, Umayyad Mosque is one of the oldest and largest mosques in the world. The mosque's most interesting feature is that it holds a shrine wherein the head of John the Baptist is entombed. The mosque was visited in 2001 by the Pope specifically to examine the relics of John the Baptist, this was the first time a Pope has ever visited a mosque. There are other landmarks at the mosque including the tomb of Saladin and the place where the head of Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad), was put on display.