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Overview
Damascus and Aleppo are among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth. Syria was the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate (661 – 750) and the crossroads of Byzantine, Islamic and Ottoman civilizations.
Basic Information
CapitalDamascus
Population22 million
Area185,180 km²
CurrencySyrian pound (SYP)
LanguagesArabic
RegionMiddle East (West Asia)
History Timeline
- c. 2400 BCEEbla flourishes
- 638Muslim conquest
- 661 – 750Umayyad Caliphate at Damascus
- 1516Ottoman conquest
- 1946Independence from France
- 2011Civil war begins
Ancient Peoples
- Amorites
- Arameans
- Phoenicians
Ancient Kingdoms
- Ebla
- Mari
- Ugarit
- Palmyra
Empires
- Umayyad
- Abbasid
- Ottoman
Religions
- Sunni Islam
- Alawite Islam
- Christianity
- Druze
Culture
Damascus steel, Umayyad mosque architecture, Aramaic and Syriac Christian traditions.
Language
Arabic; Aramaic still spoken in a few villages.
Important Battles
- Battle of Yarmouk636
Muslim victory over Byzantium
- Siege of Aleppo2012 – 2016
Modern civil war
Historical Figures
Mu'awiya I
661 – 680
Founder of the Umayyad Caliphate
Zenobia
c. 240 – 274
Queen of Palmyra
Archaeological Sites
- Palmyra
- Ebla
- Ugarit
- Dura-Europos
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Ancient City of Damascus
- Ancient City of Aleppo
- Palmyra
- Crac des Chevaliers
Dynasties
- Umayyad
- Ayyubid
- Mamluk
Colonial Period
French Mandate 1920 – 1946.
Modern History
In civil war since 2011; regime change in 2024.