May 26, 2013
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Description
Damascus, commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine, is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It borders Quneitra, Daraa and As-Suwayda to the south, Jordan to the east, Homs to the north, and Lebanon to the west. It is also the capital city of one of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000.
Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.6 million people. Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range 80 kilometres inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau 680 metres above sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate due to the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus.
First settled in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed completely while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries. During the ongoing civil war in Syria, Damascus has witnessed intense anti-government protests and violent government responses in which thousands of people died.
(via Freebase)
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![A rare moment of calm in Syria as truce is 'partly observed' [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-3034000/3034842/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=45493337953d09094edd346fe85cfc00 "Syrian refugee children play in the yard of a school which has become their temporary home in the Wadi Khalid area near the Syrian border, in northern Lebanon April 12, 2012. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi")
![Violence continues in Syria despite ceasefire deadline as regime troops begin to pull out [Dubai TV, UAE]](/images/image_cache/base-2954000/2954838/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=08767774e310043538bb5bab1ab63a92 "A Free Syrian Army member flashes a victory sign as he stands next to a damaged building in Taftanaz village, east of Idlib April 8, 2012: REUTERS/Stringer")
![Syrian TV highlights caveats of Annan plan [IBA, Israel]](/images/image_cache/base-2917000/2917664/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=3e763da0b4070b2fd464b9931508f9c5)
![Syrians flee to Turkey as violent clashes rage [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-2881000/2881253/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=1c7eb92582d800f81bea8d2b60d61d24)
![Fresh clashes in Syria ahead of UN mission [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-2759000/2759383/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=e24f17baa56df278724197d80dd83c7b)
![Russia warns arming Syrian opposition would lead to more bloodshed [New TV, Lebanon]](/images/image_cache/base-2721000/2721713/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=315c705202bae0fcb3a1d15955459b26)
![Red Cross chief in Syria as regime shelling continues [BBC Arabic, UK]](/images/image_cache/base-2672000/2672980/thumbnail.width=304,height=171,grow=1,crop=center.jpg?sig=89e45e20b553c32b0f0bd01b031ebff7)