Major Cities:                           المدن السوريّه

Damascus (Capital of Syria)                              دمشق

Damascus or Dimashq, capital and chief city of Syria, in southwestern Syria, on the Baradá River, near the Anti-Lebanon Mountains in the southwestern part of the country. The greater part of Damascus, including the rectangular ancient city, is on the south bank of the Baradá. Modern suburbs extend from the north bank.

Damascus has long been an important commercial center. In former times it was famous for dried fruit, wine, wool, linens, and silks. Damask, a type of patterned fabric, was named for the silk fabrics woven in Damascus. The city was notable also for the manufacture and transshipment of damascened steel sword blades, which were exceptionally hard and resilient. Today the city is the trading center for figs, almonds, and other fruit produced in the surrounding region. Industries in Damascus include handicrafts, such as the weaving of silk cloth and the making of leather goods, filigreed gold and silver objects, and inlaid wooden, copper, and brass articles. Among the city's other manufactures are processed food, clothing, and printed material.

The streets of the city, with the exception of the “street called Straight” (mentioned in the Bible in Acts 9:11), on which Saint Paul is supposed to have lived, are crooked and narrow. The houses frequently combine a splendidly decorated interior with a plain and somber exterior. The walls fronting the street are usually without windows.

Damascus has more than 200 mosques, of which 70 are still in use. Of these, the Umayyad Mosque, or Great Mosque, is the most important. Said to have been a heathen temple, it was converted into a Christian church at the end of the 4th century. It then contained what was believed to be the head of Saint John the Baptist and was named the Cathedral of Saint John. Other noteworthy mosques are the Sinani-yah, with a striking green-tiled tower, and the Tekkeyah, which was founded in 1516 on the riverbank west of the city as a refuge for poor pilgrims. The National Library, the National Museum, and the University of Damascus (1923) are in the city.

Damascus is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. According to 15th-century bc Egyptian inscriptions, Damascus was the capital of a city-state. During biblical times the city was subjugated by David, king of Judah and Israel (see 2 Samuel 8:5-6; 1 Chronicles 18:5), and later engaged in warfare with Israel. In 732 bc Damascus was conquered by the Assyrians, under Tiglath-pileser III, and in 333 and 332 bc it fell to Alexander the Great. After the death of Alexander in 323 bc, Damascus became part of the Seleucid Kingdom (see Seleucids). It was conquered by Pompey the Great in 64 bc.

Christianity was introduced into Damascus during the 1st century ad, and the city became the seat of a bishop's diocese. In 635 it was taken by the Muslims, and for a time before the foundation of Baghdād in 762, the city was the residence of the caliphs and was greatly adorned and fortified. In 1076 Damascus was seized by the Seljuk Turks (see Seljuks), and in 1154 it fell to the Egyptians. Damascus was the headquarters of Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria, during the Third Crusade. In 1401 the Turkic conqueror Tamerlane pillaged and burned the city. It was soon rebuilt and in 1516 was wrested from Egypt by the Ottoman Empire. Damascus was returned to Egyptian rule by Ibrahim Pasha in 1832; in 1841 it was restored to the Ottoman Empire as part of Syria. An uprising of the Muslim population in 1860 resulted in the destruction of the Christian quarter and the massacre of many Christians.

During World War I (1914-1918), Ottoman and German troops, directing their operations against the Suez Canal, were based in Damascus. In 1918 the city was captured by combined forces under British Field Marshal Edmund Henry Allenby and the Arab leader who became Faisal I, king of Iraq. Faisal later attempted to make Damascus the capital of an independent Arab state, and in March 1920 he was proclaimed king of Syria by a Syrian congress meeting in Damascus. In July the French, who had been granted a mandate over Syria by the Supreme Council of the Allied Powers, occupied Damascus. Between 1925 and 1927, the French were driven out of Damascus twice during revolts by the Druze, a religious sect; each time, they reoccupied the city after heavy bombardments. Much of the city was ruined in the fighting, and many inhabitants were killed. Following the defeat of France by Germany in 1940, during World War II, the pro-German Vichy government of France established in Damascus a colonial regime favorable to Germany. In 1941 a combined Allied force attacked Syria and took Damascus, which became the capital of independent Syria in 1946. Population (1995 estimate) 2,036,000.

 City of Halab (Aleppo)                                  مدينة حلب

Hlab or Aleppo (ancient Beroea), city in northern Syria, capital of Halab Governorate. It lies on a plateau 427 m (1400 ft) high, midway between the Mediterranean Sea and the Euphrates River. The second largest city of Syria, Halab is an agricultural trading center and has factories producing carpets; silk, cotton, and wool textiles; silverware and gold ware; leather goods; and embroidery. Halab consists of an old and a new town; the former is enclosed within a wall dating from medieval times. Among the most important buildings are the modern citadel, surrounded by a moat and standing on a hill 61 m (200 ft) high, and the Mosque of Zacharias, said to contain the tomb of Saint John the Baptist's father. Also in Aalab are a number of European schools and Christian churches and missions. The University of Halab was founded in 1960. The city is connected by rail with Damascus, and with Beirut (Bayrūt), Lebanon, and by caravan route with Iraq and parts of the Kurdish cultural region. In the 3rd century ad, Halab became the greatest center of trade between Europe and lands farther east. The history of the city, which was settled by the Hittites before 1000 bc, parallels that of Syria. Population 1,582,930 (1994).

 City of Hims (Hums)                                  مدينة حمص

 City of Hamah                                               مدينة حماه

Hamāh, city in west central Syria, on the Orontes River. The principal products of the city and the surrounding region are grain and wool, silk, and cotton textiles. An ancient city, frequently mentioned in the Bible as Hamath, Hamāh was once an important center of the Hittites. In February 1982 the city was the site of an antigovernment rebellion led by the Muslim Brotherhood; according to diplomatic reports, at least 5000 people were killed and much of the city was devastated when Syrian government forces suppressed the uprising. Population (1994) 264,348.

Al Lādhiqīyah or Latakia, city and port in northwestern Syria, capital of Lādhiqīyah Governorate, on the Mediterranean Sea. The city is the trading center for the surrounding agricultural region and is also noted for tobacco, which is grown nearby. It is a leading seaport of the country and its chief exports are cotton, fruits, and tobacco. Tichreen University (1971) is here. Probably founded in the 3rd century bc, Al Lādhiqīyah was ruled by the Phoenicians and Romans and subsequently was occupied at various times by the Byzantines, Crusaders, Arabs, and Turks. Between World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945), the city was administered by the French. In 1942 Al Lādhiqīyah was incorporated into Syria. Population 311,784 (1994).

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