Timeline of Damascus

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Damascus, Syria.

Prior to 7th century

965 BCE – Rezon, leader of a marauding band, conquers Damascus and becomes King of the Arameans.
843 BCE – Hazael assassinated Ben-Hadad I and made himself king of Aram-Damascus.
732 BCE – Neo-Assyrian Empire conquers Damascus
572 BCE – Neo-Babylonians conquered Damascus
538 BCE – Achaemenid Empire annexes Damascus
333 BCE – Alexander the Great conquers Damascus
112 BCE – Damascus fell to Antiochus IX Cyzicenus.
150 CE – Damascus became a Roman provincial city under Trajan.
4th century – Temple of Jupiter built by the Romans.

7th–19th centuries

613 – Sasanian captured Damascus during the Byzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628
634 – 21 August to 19 September: Arab conquest of Damascus under Khalid ibn al-Walid.
715 – Great Mosque built by Al-Walid I by converting the church of St John the Baptist constructed by Arcadius.
789 – Qubbat al-Khazna built.
1078 – Citadel of Damascus built.
1126 – Crusaders attacked Damascus.
1129 – Crusaders march on Damascus.
1142 – Al-Mujahidiyah Madrasa established.
1154 – Nur al-Din Bimaristan built.
1196 – Mausoleum of Saladin built.
1215 – Al-Adiliyah Madrasa founded.
1216 – Citadel of Damascus rebuilt.
1224 – Al-Rukniyah Madrasa built.
1229 – Damascus besieged
1234 – Aqsab Mosque built.
1250 – Qaymariyya hand city over to al-Nasir Yusuf in bloodless coup.
1254 – Al-Qilijiyah Madrasa established.
1260 – Kitbuga, a confidant of the Mongol Ilkhan Hulagu, captured Damascus. Then, it was captured five days after the Battle of Ain Jalut by the Mamluk Sultanate.
1277 – Al-Zahiriyah Library established.
1400 – Timur, the Turco-Mongol conqueror, besieges Damascus.
1515 – Al-Sibaiyah Madrasa built.
1516 – Ottomans under Selim I conquered Damascus from the Mamluks.
1518 – Salimiyya Takiyya built.
1558 – Sulaymaniyya Takiyya built.
1566 – Salimiyya Madrasa established.
1574 – Khan al-Harir built.
1605 – Printing press established.
1736 – Khan Sulayman Pasha built.
1750 – Azm Palace built.
1752 – Khan As'ad Pasha built.
1832 – Captured by Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt.
1840 – Return of the city to Turkish domination, when the Egyptians were driven out of Syria.
1860 – Massacre; the Moslem population rose against the Christians.
1885 – Bakdash (ice cream parlor) established.
1900 – Population: 154,000. (approx date)

20th century

1918 – October: Arab troops led by Emir Feisal, and supported by British Armed Forces, capture Damascus, ending 400 years of Ottoman rule.
1920 – July: French Armed Forces occupy Damascus, forcing Feisal to flee abroad.
1923 – University founded.
1925/6 – French forces bombard Damascus.
1928 – Al-Wahda Club of Damascus founded.
1933 – Arab Women's Union in Damascus founded.
1935 – Population: 193,912.
1939 – Chapel of Saint Paul inaugurated.
1946 – Population: 303,952.
1947 – Al-Jaish Sports Club founded.
1960 – Syrian Television begins broadcasting.
1961 – September: Discontent with Egyptian domination of the United Arab Republic prompts a group of Syrian Army officers to seize power in Damascus and dissolve the union.
1964 – Population: 562,907 (estimate).
1970 – Population: 836,668 city; 923,253 urban agglomeration.
1977 – Higher Institute for Dramatic Arts founded.
1981
- Bomb explodes near Syrian Air Force headquarters.
- Azbakiyah bombing
1983 – Higher Institute for Applied Science and Technology founded.
1984 – Al-Assad National Library established.
1985 – Population: 1,196,710 (estimate).
1986 – Bombings
1994 – Population: 1,549,000 (estimate).
2000 – Spring

21st century

2004 – Damascus Opera House inaugurated.
2006
- February: "Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus are set on fire."
- September: "Attack on the US embassy."
2008 – Population: 1,680,000 (estimate).
2009 – Damascus Securities Exchange founded.
2011
- March: Protest; crackdown.
- Syrian civil war begins.
2012
2013
- Damascus offensive
2018
- May: Syrian Armed Forces recapture the entire city of Damascus.
2024
- December: Syrian opposition forces captured the city.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Britannica 1910.
↑ Pierkins 2017, p. 227.
↑ "Histoire des Croisades III", René Grousset, p. 586.
↑ Henri Bouchot (1890). "Topographical index of the principal towns where early printing presses were established". In H. Grevel (ed.). The book: its printers, illustrators, and binders, from Gutenberg to the present time. H. Grevel & Co.
1 2 3 4 5 6 BBC News (28 August 2011). "Timeline". Syria profile. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
↑ Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1960, p. 278, OL 5812502M
↑ Leon E. Seltzer, ed. (1952), Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 485, OL 6112221M
↑ "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1965. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations. 1966. pp. 140–161.
↑ United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1976). "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1975. New York. pp. 253–279.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ "Damascus Bomb Blast Is Reported to Kill 20". New York Times. September 4, 1981.
↑ United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1987). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1985 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 247–289.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division (1997). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1995 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 262–321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
↑ "Table 8 - Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants", Demographic Yearbook – 2018, United Nations
↑ "Syria's War: An Interactive Timeline". Syria Deeply. New York: News Deeply. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
1 2 Encyclopædia Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2013. ISBN 978-1-62513-103-4.
↑ "Syrian government declares capital fully under its control". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
↑ "Syrian army takes last insurgent area near Damascus". Reuters. 21 May 2018.
↑ "Syrian rebels seize Damascus; Assad flees capital". NBC News. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.

Bibliography

Published in 19th century

H. A. S. Dearborn (1819), "Damascus", A Memoir on the Commerce and Navigation of the Black Sea, Boston: Wells & Lilly
Josiah Conder (1824), "Damascus", Syria and Asia Minor, London: James Duncan, OCLC 8888382
John Fuller (1830), "Damascus", Narrative of a Tour Through Some Parts of the Turkish Empire, John Murray, OCLC 15470157
David Brewster, ed. (1832). "Damascus". Edinburgh Encyclopædia. Vol. 7. Philadelphia: Joseph and Edward Parker. hdl:2027/mdp.39015068302770.
Thomas Bartlett (1841). "Damascus". New Tablet of Memory; or, Chronicle of Remarkable Events. London: Thomas Kelly.
Josias Leslie Porter (1855), Five years in Damascus: Including an Account of the History, Topography, and Antiquities of That City, London: J. Murray, OCLC 399684, OL 6951148M
Charles Knight, ed. (1866). "Damascus". Geography. English Cyclopaedia. Vol. 2. London: Bradbury, Evans, & Co. hdl:2027/nyp.33433000064794.
George Henry Townsend (1867), "Damascus", A Manual of Dates (2nd ed.), London: Frederick Warne & Co.
"Damascus", Cook's Tourists' Handbook for Palestine and Syria, London: T. Cook & Son, 1876
"Damascus", Palestine and Syria, Leipsig: Karl Baedeker, 1876. (+ 1898 ed.)
Èmile Isambert (1881). "Damas". Itinéraire descriptif, historique et archéologique de l'Orient. Guides Joanne (in French). Vol. 3: Syrie, Palestine. hdl:2027/nyp.33433002689614.
Guy Le Strange (1890), "Damascus", Palestine under the Moslems: a description of Syria and the Holy Land from A.D. 650 to 1500, London: A.P. Watt

Published in 20th century

"Damascus", Chambers's Encyclopaedia, London: W. & R. Chambers, 1901
D.S. Margoliouth (1907), Cairo, Jerusalem, and Damascus, London: Chatto & Windus, OL 23283598M
Macalister, Robert Alexander Stewart (1910). "Damascus" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). pp. 784–785.
Benjamin Vincent (1910), "Damascus", Haydn's Dictionary of Dates (25th ed.), London: Ward, Lock & Co.
R. Stephen Humphreys. "Urban Topography and Urban Society: Damascus under the Ayyubids and Mamluks." In his, Islamic History: A Framework for Inquiry. Minneapolis, 1988. pp. 209–32.
Michael Chamberlain, Knowledge and Social Practice in Medieval Damascus, 1190–1350. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. pp. 27–68.
John Block Friedman; Kristen Mossler Figg (2000). "Damascus". Trade, Travel, and Exploration in the Middle Ages: an Encyclopedia. Routledge. p. 146+. ISBN 978-1-135-59094-9.

Published in 21st century

Josef W. Meri, ed. (2006). "Damascus". Medieval Islamic Civilization. Routledge. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-415-96691-7.
C. Edmund Bosworth, ed. (2007). "Damascus". Historic Cities of the Islamic World. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill. pp. 107–125. ISBN 978-9004153882.
Michael R.T. Dumper; Bruce E. Stanley, eds. (2008), "Damascus", Cities of the Middle East and North Africa, Santa Barbara, USA: ABC-CLIO, p. 119+, ISBN 978-1-57607-919-5
"Damascus". Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture. Oxford University Press. 2009. pp. 513–517. ISBN 978-0-19-530991-1.
Gabor Agoston; Bruce Alan Masters (2009). "Damascus". Encyclopedia of the Ottoman Empire. Facts on File. p. 168. ISBN 978-1-4381-1025-7.
Pierkins, Russell S. (2017). "Damascus, Arab Conquest of (634 CE)". In Shaw, Jeffrey M.; Demy, Timothy J. (eds.). War and Religion: An Encyclopedia of Faith and Conflict. Vol. 1. ABC-CLIO. pp. 227–228. ISBN 978-1-61069-517-6.

External links

ArchNet. "Damascus". Archived from the original on 30 October 2013.
Michel Ecochard (1930s). "Damascus Albums". Regional Surveys. ArchNet.

33°30′47″N 36°17′31″E / 33.513°N 36.292°E / 33.513; 36.292

[FOOTNOTEBritannica1910-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Britannica 1910.

[FOOTNOTEPierkins2017227-2] Pierkins 2017, p. 227.

[3] "Histoire des Croisades III", René Grousset, p. 586.

[Bouchot1890-4] Henri Bouchot (1890). "Topographical index of the principal towns where early printing presses were established". In H. Grevel (ed.). The book: its printers, illustrators, and binders, from Gutenberg to the present time. H. Grevel & Co.

[bbc-timeline-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 BBC News (28 August 2011). "Timeline". Syria profile. Retrieved June 10, 2012.

[webster1960-6] Webster's Geographical Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, USA: G. & C. Merriam Co., 1960, p. 278, OL 5812502M

[lippincott1952-7] Leon E. Seltzer, ed. (1952), Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World, New York: Columbia University Press, p. 485, OL 6112221M

[8] "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1965. New York: Statistical Office of the United Nations. 1966. pp. 140–161.

[9] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1976). "Population of capital city and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". Demographic Yearbook 1975. New York. pp. 253–279.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[10] "Damascus Bomb Blast Is Reported to Kill 20". New York Times. September 4, 1981.

[11] United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistical Office (1987). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1985 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 247–289.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[12] United Nations Department for Economic and Social Information and Policy Analysis, Statistics Division (1997). "Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 and more inhabitants". 1995 Demographic Yearbook. New York. pp. 262–321.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[13] "Table 8 - Population of capital cities and cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants", Demographic Yearbook – 2018, United Nations

[14] "Syria's War: An Interactive Timeline". Syria Deeply. New York: News Deeply. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2014.

[britannica2013-15] 1 2 Encyclopædia Britannica Book of the Year. Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2013. ISBN 978-1-62513-103-4.

[16] "Syrian government declares capital fully under its control". ABC News. Retrieved 22 May 2018.

[17] "Syrian army takes last insurgent area near Damascus". Reuters. 21 May 2018.

[18] "Syrian rebels seize Damascus; Assad flees capital". NBC News. 8 December 2024. Retrieved 8 December 2024.

v t e Cities and towns of Syria
Governorate centres	Aleppo Damascus Daraa Deir ez-Zor Hama Hasakah Homs Idlib Latakia Quneitra Raqqa Douma Suwayda Tartus
District centres	Abu Kamal Afrin Ariha Atarib Kobani Azaz al-Bab Baniyas Darayya Dayr Hafir Duraykish Fiq al-Haffah Harem Izraa Jableh Jarabulus Jisr ash-Shughur Maarat al-Numan al-Malikiyah Manbij Masyaf Mayadin Maharda al-Mukharram al-Nabek Palmyra Qamishli Qardaha Qatana Qudsaya al-Qusayr al-Qutayfah Ras al-Ayn al-Rastan as-Safira Safita Salamiyah Salkhad As-Sanamayn Shahba Al-Shaykh Badr al-Suqaylabiyah Talkalakh al-Tall Tell Abyad Tabqa Yabroud al-Zabadani
Sub-district centres	Abu Qilqil Abu al-Duhur Akhtarin Amuda Arbin Arima al-Ariqah al-Arishah Armanaz Arwad al-Asharah Assal al-Ward Awj Ain al-Fijah Ain Halaqim Ayn Issa Ayn al-Niser Babbila Banan Barri Sharqi Beit Jinn Binnish Bir al-Helou Bosra Bulbul Al-Busayrah Da'el al-Dana Darat Izza Darkush al-Dirbasiyah Deir Atiyah al-Dimas al-Dumayr Furqlus Ghabaghib Ghandoura al-Ghariyah al-Ghizlaniyah al-Hadher Hadidah al-Hajar al-Aswad al-Hajib Hajin al-Hamidiyah al-Hamraa Harasta Hirbnafsah Harran al-Awamid al-Hirak Hish Hisyah al-Hawl Haritan al-Hawash Ibbin Samaan Ihsim Jayrud al-Jalaa al-Janudiyah Jaramana al-Jarniyah Jasim al-Jawadiyah Jubb al-Jarrah Jubb Ramlah Jindires al-Jiza al-Qabu Kafr Batna Kafr Nabl Kafr Takharim Kafr Zita al-Karamah al-Kasrah Kessab al-Khafsah Khan Shaykhun Khasham Karnaz Kuweires Sharqi Khanaser Khirbet Ghazaleh Khirbet Tin Mahmoud al-Kiswah Maarrat Misrin Maabatli Ma'adan Maaloula Madaya Mahin Malah al-Malihah al-Mansurah Mare' Markada Mashta al-Helu Maskanah al-Masmiyah al-Mazraa Muhambal Al-Muhasan al-Musayfirah al-Mushannaf Muzayrib al-Nashabiyah al-Nasirah Nawa Nubl al-Qadmus al-Qahtaniyah Qalaat al-Madiq Qara al-Qaryatayn al-Qurayya Qurqania Rajo Rankous Rasm Harmil al-Imam al-Rai al-Riqama al-Ruhaybah al-Saan Sa'sa' Sabburah Sabaa Biyar al-Sabkhah Sadad Sahnaya Saidnaya Salqin Saraqib Sarmin Sarrin Sawran Sibbeh al-Shaddadah al-Shajara Shaqqa Sharran Shathah Shaykh al-Hadid Ash-Shaykh Miskin Shuyukh Tahtani Shin Sinjar Serghaya Slinfah Suluk As-Sawra as-Saghira al-Suwar Suran al-Susah al-Sukhnah al-Tabni Talbiseh Taldou al-Tamanah Tasil Tell al-Daman Tell Hamis Tell Rifaat Tell Salhab Tell Tamer Tadef Diban Uqayribat Urum al-Kubra Wadi al-Uyun al-Yaarubiyah al-Zirbah al-Ziyarah

History of Syria
This article is part of a series on the

Prehistory Paleolithic Levantine corridor Epipaleolithic Natufian culture Neolithic Tell Abu Hureyra Tell Aswad Yarmukian culture Chalcolithic Halaf culture Uruk period
Bronze Age Early Bronze Age Ebla Nagar Middle Bronze Age Amorites Yamhad Qatna Mari Late Bronze Age Akkadian Empire Canaanites Middle Assyrian Empire Ugarit Emar Late Bronze Age collapse
Antiquity Iron Age Arameans Aram-Damascus Syro-Hittite states Neo-Assyrian Empire Neo-Babylonian Empire Classical antiquity Achaemenid Syria Seleucid Syria Roman Syria Palmyrene Empire Byzantine Syria
Middle Ages Early Islamic period Muslim conquest of the Levant (636) Bilad al-Sham Umayyad Syria Abbasid Syria Regional dynasties Tulunid dynasty Ikhshidid dynasty Hamdanid dynasty Mirdasid dynasty Fatimid Syria Seljuk Syria Zengid dynasty Crusader period Crusader states County of Edessa Principality of Antioch County of Tripoli Ayyubid period Ayyubid Syria (1174–1260) Mamluk period Mamluk Syria (1260–1516)
Early modern Ottoman period Ottoman Syria (1516–1918)
Modern Arab Kingdom Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) French Mandate French Mandate Syrian Federation (1922–1925) State of Syria (1925–1930) Mandatory Republic (1930–1946) First Republic Independent First Syrian Republic (1946–1950) Second Republic Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958, 1961–1963) United Arab Republic (1958–1961) Ba'athist era Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) Corrective Movement (1970) Syrian civil war (2011–2024) Fall of the Assad regime (2024) Transitional period Syrian caretaker government (2024–2025) Syrian transitional government (2025–present)
Related Timeline of Syrian history Historical regions of Syria Archaeology of Syria History of the Levant History of Western Asia
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v t e

Timeline of Damascus

Prior to 7th century

7th–19th centuries

20th century

21st century

See also

References

Bibliography

Published in 19th century

Published in 20th century

Published in 21st century

External links