"No recorded event has occurred in the world but Damascus was in existence to receive the news of it," wrote Mark Twain after visiting Syria's capital -- known colloquially as al-Sham -- in the 1860s. "She has looked upon the dry bones of a thousand empires, and will see the tombs of a thousand more before she dies."
Over the centuries, Damascus has been conquered by a string of foreign invaders that extends from King David of Israel -- chronicled in the Old Testament -- straight through to the French, who occupied the city until 1945. In between, Damascus fell to a list of conquerors that includes the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Romans, Umayyads, Egyptian Mamluks, and Ottoman Turks. But now, roiled by the Arab Spring, the invasions are internal, with Syrian tanks and troops rolling into restive cities.
After the Umayyad conquest of Damascus in the seventh century, the Umayyad Mosque (seen above, circa 1900) was constructed on the site where a Byzantine church, a Roman temple, and before that an Aramean temple to the god of thunder and rain once stood.
Library of Congress
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WINSTON BLAKE
7:26 PM ET
August 5, 2011
Photo essay of my own...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2qAFaev6pc
MYSTIKIEL
8:45 PM ET
August 7, 2011
The photo at page 4 of this essay
is a stereoscope image, which were quite in vogue around the turn of the century. If you scale down the image in your browser you can view it in 3D, using the same technique used for viewing 3d "magic dot" pictures - try to focus your eyes past the level of the image, so that the two images overlap and become superimposed in your vision.
ARNAOLDANNO
12:04 AM ET
September 6, 2011
beautiful ancient city
Very beautiful ancient city. I'd like to visit Damascus. Only time will need to choose quieter. Photos are very luxurious - I'll make them 3D wallpaper for my desktop
QUERTHE
11:03 AM ET
August 8, 2011
I would love to visit
I would love to visit Damaskus before my life ends. Hopefully I will manage it.
Anyway thanks for this great article with lovely old photos!
Regards
Matthew Lorty
HAFIZI84
11:53 AM ET
September 5, 2011
unique of Damascus
Great history of Damascus..Really awesome.Thanks for this article.apple iphone 5
JOHNNY23
5:02 PM ET
September 19, 2011
Wow.
Amazing pictures of Damascus. Its amazing to think how much that city has seen, so many wars, so many stories... but so much history!
Bill,
stink bugs
NORMAN
7:27 AM ET
September 23, 2011
Damascus
The city of Damascus has indeed a troublesome history. However, these pictures evoke times of relative calmness and even somewhat romanticism. I would have really liked to visit the city in those days, although I wouldn't pass on this occasion even today. asigurare locuinta
JEFFERSONMAN
11:51 PM ET
September 30, 2011
Borrowed time
I look at these photos and i see a beautiful city, however according to Isaiah 17:1, Damascus will be gone one day soon. Still though, a beautiful city