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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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

He was heading to a state facility where Hassan had an office, in an area called Tahouneh on the outskirts of Damascus, according to several sources.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Top officials in Damascus hailed the delisting as a major opportunity for the country, still economically devastated after more than a decade of war that rights groups say killed more than half a million people.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

After Israel’s surprise attack on Syria and Egypt in October 1973, Kissinger spent nearly two years on “shuttle diplomacy,” flying back and forth between Cairo, Damascus and Jerusalem in search of a lasting peace deal.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, led a team on Tuesday which checked the presence of uranium metal at a site that Damascus disclosed just last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Some said it was a scar left behind by the Damascus Affair, the blood libel that had driven his Harari ancestors from the city for good.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny