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Ancient City of Damascus

Syrian Arab Republic
Date of Inscription: 1979
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv)(vi)
Administrative District of Damascus
N33 30 41 E36 18 23
Ref: 20

Brief Description

Founded in the 3rd millennium B.C., Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, it was the centre of a flourishing craft industry, specializing in swords and lace. The city has some 125 monuments from different periods of its history – one of the most spectacular is the 8th-century Great Mosque of the Umayyads, built on the site of an Assyrian sanctuary.