Damascus

American  

[duh-mas-kuhs] / dəˈmæs kəs /

noun

1. a city in and the capital of Syria, in the SW part: reputed to be the oldest continuously existing city in the world.

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Damascus British  

/ dəˈmɑːskəs, -ˈmæs- /

noun

1. Arabic names: Dimashq, Esh Sham. the capital of Syria, in the southwest: reputedly the oldest city in the world, having been inhabited continuously since before 2000 _bc Pop: 2 317 000 (2005 est)

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Damascus ¹ Cultural  

1. An ancient city in Syria (and still its capital today). The Apostle Paul, then an official called Saul, was on his way from Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) to Damascus to arrest Christians (see also Christian). He underwent a dramatic conversion on the road, in which he fell from his horse, saw a dazzling light, and “heard a voice saying unto him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? … I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.’”

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Damascus ² Cultural  

1. Capital of Syria and largest city in the country, located in southwestern Syria; the country's administrative, financial, and communications center.

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Discover More

The “road to Damascus” is an image for a sudden turning point in a person's life.

Inhabited since prehistoric times, Damascus is widely regarded as the world's oldest city.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Damascus

In a suburb of Damascus, I joined Fatima Saleh Eid at an open-air market for her weekly shop.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

At the headquarters of YallaGo!, a leading ride-hailing app in Damascus, local operations manager Rami al-Hamad said "the number of electric cars registered with us has risen by around 20 percent" in recent months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Walking between vehicles at his family company's showroom outside Damascus, Hamza Sukkar, 25, said electric car purchases had accelerated recently.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

But those flight paths typically pass near Syria’s capital, Damascus, which is still regarded as a risky zone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

It definitely went back at least as far as Damascus, but before that was anyone’s guess.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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