Damascus

Location

Damascus lies in southern Syria on the plain of the Ghouta, watered by the Barada river, at the eastern foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. In the first century Damascus was a major city under Nabataean and then direct Roman administration, the terminus of trade routes from Arabia and the East. It is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

Biblical importance

Damascus is named repeatedly in the Old Testament as the capital of Aram (2 Samuel 8:5-6, 1 Kings 11:24, Isaiah 7:8), and in the New Testament as the destination of Saul when Christ met him on the road (Acts 9:1-9), the city where Ananias baptised Saul (Acts 9:10-19), and the city from which Paul was let down over the wall in a basket to escape (Acts 9:23-25, 2 Corinthians 11:32-33).

Historical timeline

• c. 2nd millennium BC — Damascus is attested in Egyptian and Mesopotamian records.
• c. 900-732 BC — Damascus is the capital of the Aramean kingdom of Aram-Damascus (see 1-2 Kings, Isaiah).
• 732 BC — The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III captures Damascus (2 Kings 16:9).
• 64 BC — Roman general Pompey brings Damascus into the Roman sphere; it becomes part of the Decapolis.
• c. AD 34-36 — Saul's journey and conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
• AD 613-614 — Damascus is captured by the Persians under Chosroes II.
• AD 636 — Damascus is taken by the Rashidun Caliphate and becomes the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate (AD 661-750).
• Twentieth century — Modern archaeological work in Damascus has been limited by the continuously inhabited urban core.

Important biblical events

• Genesis 14:15 (KJV) Abram pursues Chedorlaomer as far as Hobah, on the left hand of Damascus.
• Genesis 15:2 (KJV) Eliezer of Damascus is named as the steward of Abram's house.
• 2 Samuel 8:5-6 (KJV) David defeats the Syrians of Damascus and puts garrisons there.
• 1 Kings 11:23-25 (KJV) Rezon establishes himself in Damascus as a rival to Solomon.
• 2 Kings 5:12 (KJV) Naaman the Syrian captain calls Abana and Pharpar 'rivers of Damascus.'
• Isaiah 7:8 (KJV) 'For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin.'
• Isaiah 17:1 (KJV) 'Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.'
• Acts 9:1-9 (KJV) Saul, breathing out threatenings and slaughter, journeys toward Damascus and is arrested by a light from heaven.
• Acts 9:10-19 (KJV) Ananias is sent to Saul in the street called Straight; Saul receives his sight, is filled with the Holy Ghost, and is baptised.
• Acts 9:19-22 (KJV) Saul preaches Christ in the synagogues of Damascus, confounding the Jews there.
• Acts 9:23-25 (KJV) Saul's disciples let him down by the wall in a basket by night.
• 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 (KJV) Paul's own account of the escape: 'In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall.'
• Galatians 1:17 (KJV) Paul returns to Damascus after time in Arabia.

Important Christian events

• The Christian community at Damascus (mentioned by Acts 9:10, 9:19, 9:25) is among the earliest attested outside Judea.
• The traditional 'Street called Straight' (Latin: Via Recta) runs east-west through the ancient city and remains identifiable in the modern urban plan.
• The Chapel of St Ananias in the Old City is a Crusader-era structure on foundations tradition dates earlier; it commemorates Ananias's house.
• Damascus was an early episcopal see; its bishop attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

Related Scripture

• Acts 22:6-16 (KJV) Paul's own retelling of his conversion before the crowd in Jerusalem.
• Acts 26:12-18 (KJV) Paul's retelling before Agrippa: 'I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.'
• Galatians 1:15-17 (KJV) 'It pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me.'

Related biblical people

• Saul of Tarsus — later the apostle Paul.
• Ananias, disciple at Damascus.
• Judas of the street called Straight (Acts 9:11), in whose house Saul lodged.
• Aretas IV, king of the Nabataeans, whose governor sought Paul (2 Corinthians 11:32).

Related Journeys

• Journey — the travels of Paul (future)

Historical churches

• Chapel of St Ananias (Bab Sharqi quarter of the Old City) — a modest medieval structure on foundations tradition dates earlier.
• Mariamite Cathedral (Antiochian Greek Orthodox) — the seat of the Patriarch of Antioch and All the East; a foundation of high antiquity, though the current structure is later.
• Damascus was for centuries an important Christian centre; many historic churches remain in the Old City.

Historic monasteries

• The monasteries of the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus (e.g., Saidnaya, tradition dating to the sixth century) — placeholder; the Atlas will document these individually in a future pass.

Museums and archaeological collections

• The National Museum of Damascus — houses artefacts from throughout Syria including the third-century synagogue frescoes from Dura-Europos.

Pilgrimage today

Damascus has been a pilgrimage destination since the earliest Christian centuries. The current situation in Syria has made pilgrimage difficult; CrossAIHub does not offer travel guidance and recommends that any visit be planned with a trusted parish or Middle Eastern Christian community.

Related liturgical seasons

• The Conversion of Saint Paul — 25 January.
• Feast of Saints Peter and Paul — 29 June.

Images (public-domain, to be added)

Historic maps (public-domain, to be added)

Further reading

• Acts 9, Acts 22, Acts 26 — the three biblical accounts of the conversion.
• Galatians 1:15-24 — Paul's own summary.
• 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 — the escape over the wall.
• Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (II).

Elsewhere in the Atlas

• Antioch
• Jerusalem
• Rome
• Psalm 46
• Tarsus — Paul before Damascus
• Return to the atrium — the Atlas's main room.