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Damascus, the capital of the Syrian Arab Republic, was also the country's largest city, following the decline in population of Aleppo due to the battle for the city. It was colloquially known in Syria as aš-Šām and titled the 'City of Jasmine'. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus was a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world.
Located in southwestern Syria, the city is the center of a large metropolitan area of several thousands of people.
First settled in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain
