Damascus is the capital of Syria and is widely regarded as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Archaeology shows settlement in the area for many thousands of years, and by the third millennium BCE it was an established town in a fertile oasis fed by the Barada river, at a crossroads of trade between Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt and Arabia. Over time it was ruled by Arameans, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines. After the Muslim conquest it became the capital of the Umayyad caliphate in the seventh century, and the Umayyad Mosque survives from that time. Its Old City is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its long history has given it a layered cultural character.
Before and after
- from c. 2,040 BCE to 1,782 BCEMiddle Kingdom of Egypt
- c. 2,040 BCEEruption of Long Island
- from c. 2,025 BCE to 609 BCEAssyrian Empire
- from 3rd millennium BCE to 2nd millenniumMaya civilization
- 3rd millennium BCEOrigins of Damascus
- 21st century BCEThe last mammoths die out on Wrangel Island
- from c. 2,000 BCE to 1,500 BCEPhilippine Jade Artifacts
- from c. 1,991 BCE to 1,802 BCETwelfth Dynasty of Egypt
- from 20th century BCE to 6th century BCEBabylonia
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.