Damascus

Quick Facts

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Coordinates

• Latitude: 33.5158
• Longitude: 36.2939

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Introduction

Mezquita de Damasco

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Damascus is the capital of Syria and after Aleppo it is the biggest city in the country with slightly less than 2 million people living here. It is located in the southwest of the country not far from the border with Jordan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Although the largest part of the city is rather chaotic with much traffic and not much of interest for travellers, the old part of the city is a great place exploring on foot. The medina (souq) is a colourful place to visit and the old city has several quarter like the Christian quarter. Centrepiece is the Umayyad Mosque, also known as the Grand Mosque of Damascus. It is one of the largest mosques in the world, and one of the oldest sites of continuous prayer since the rise of Islam. Damascus deserves at least a few days before exploring the rest of the cultural highlights of Syria.