Ancient City of Damascus

大马士革古城

🇮🇹 Syrian Arab Republic📅 1979 Inscribed

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Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, it was the centre of a flourishing craft industry, specializing in swords and lace. The city has some 125 monuments from different periods of its history – one of the most spectacular is the 8th-century Great Mosque of the Umayyads, built on the site of an Assyrian sanctuary.

Insight I

One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to 3000 BC.

Insight II

Having undergone transitions from the Hellenistic era to various Islamic civilizations, the city retains numerous historic monuments and reflects the transformation from Christianity to Islam. Located within the old Roman walls, it still follows the original Roman grid plan. The Umayyad Mosque was built on the remains of a Christian church, which itself was constructed on the ruins of an earlier Roman temple. The body of St. John the Baptist is enshrined in the Umayyad Mosque. The Mausoleum of Saladin, where the famous Muslim leader is buried, is also located here.

Insight III

In 2010, the Global Heritage Fund listed Damascus among the 12 cultural heritage sites most at risk of irreversible loss and destruction due to war and other threats.