syria

"This City is called in the Scriptures Aram-Sobab, 2. Sam. 8. 3. and Aleppo of Alep, which signifieth milke, whereof there is a great plenty here: There are Pigeons brought up here as after an incredible manner, who will flie betweene Aleppo, and Babylon, being thirty dayes journey distant in forty eight houres: carrying letters and newes, which are tied about their neckes, to Merchants of both Townes, and from one to another; who onely are imployed in the time of hasty and needfull intendements; their education to this tractable expedition is admirable, the flights and arrivals of which I have often seene in the time of my wintering in Aleppo, which was the second Winter after my departure from Christendome."

"Some hold this Citie was built by Eleazer the servant of Abraham; and other say it is the place where Caine slew Abel, where indeed it is most likely to be so: for hard by Damascus I saw a pillar of Brasse erected there for a commemoration of that unnaturall murther of Cain executed upon his innocent brother. But howsoever I perswade thee, it is a pleasant and gallant Citie, well walled, and fortified with a strong Castle, wherein the Bassaw remaineth: the most part of the streets are covered, so that the Citizens are preserved in Summer from the heat, and in Winter from the raine.The like commoditie (but not after that forme) hath Padua in Lombardy: Their Bazar, or Market place is also covered, so are commonly all the Bazars or Bezestans in Turky: The best Carobiers, Adams Apples, and Grenadiers that grow on the earth is here: neare unto the Bazar there is a Moskie called Gemmah, wherein my Guide shewed me the Sepulcher of Ananias, and the Fountaine where he baptized Paul: In another street, I saw the house of Ananias, which is but a hollow Celler under the ground, and where the Disciples let Paul downe through the wall in a basket: In the street where they fell their Viæno, my Interpreter shewed me a great gate of fine mettall, which he sayd was one of the doores of the Temple of Salomon, and was transported thence, by the Tartarians, who conquered Jerusalem about three hundred and eighty yeares agoe, who for the heavy weight thereof, were enforced to leave it here, being indeede a relicke of wonderfull bignesse: And I saw also such aboundance of Rose-water here in barrels, to be sold, as beere or wine is rife with us."

"This Paradisiat Shamma, is the mother City, and most beautiful place of all Asia, resembling every way (the tectures of her Houses excepted being platforme) that matchlesse patterne and mirrour of beauty, the City of Antwerp. The onely best Shables, or short crooked swords, that be in the world are made here; and so are all other their weapons, as halfe Pikes, Bowes, and Arrowes, and Baluckoes of steele, that Horse-men carry in their hands: their shafts being three foot long, their heads great and round, and sharply guttered; wherewith they use to braine or knocke downe their enemies in the field. The Beglerbeg or Bassa of Damascus, is the greatest of commandement of all other Bassaes in Asia: Having under his authority (as he is under his Emperour) twenty two Sanzacks, and they conducting under all the aforesayd three, forty thousand Timariots or Horse-men, besides two thousand Janizaries, which are the guard of the Bassa, and Garrison of the Citty. His Beglerbership extendeth over the greater halfe of Syria, a part of the two Arabiaes Fœlix and Petrea, Phenicia, Galilee, Samaria, Palestina, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and al the Northerne parts of Arabia Desartuous, even to the frontiers of Egipt."

"No Scripture site is more surely identified than that of the ancient Damascus; and few possess a greater interest for the theologian, the historian, or the antiquary. ... It has outlived generations of cities, and has been a witness of the stirring events of full four thousand years. It has in succession formed an important part of the most powerful empires of the world. The monarchs of Nineveh, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, have conquered it; and it has prospered under every dynasty, and outlived them all. It was for a time the capital of the vast dominions of the Khalifs; and now the Osmanlis, its present rulers, are fast declining, and ere long it may be forced to acknowledge other masters. Damascus thus remains a connecting link between the most remote antiquity and modern times."

"The buildings of Damascus are almost all of snowy whiteness, and this contrasts well with the surrounding foliage. The gardens and orchards, which have been so long and so justly celebrated, encompass the city, and extend on both sides of the Barada some miles eastward. They cover an area at least twenty-five miles in circuit, and make the environs an earthly paradise. The varied tints of the foliage, and of the blossoms and fruit in their season, greatly enhance the beauty of the picture. The sombre hue of the olive and the deep green of the walnut are finely relieved by the lighter shade of the apricot, the silvery sheen of the poplar, and the purple tint of the pomegranate; while lofty cone-like cypresses appear at intervals, and a few palm-trees here and there raise up their graceful heads. The variously coloured foliage thus surrounding the bright city, and the smooth plain beyond, now bounded by naked hills, and now mingling with the sky on the far-distant horizon, and the wavy atmosphere that makes forest, plain, and mountain tremble, give a softness and an aerial beauty to the whole scene that captivates the mind of the beholder."

"To those accustomed to the capitals of Europe, with their broad streets, spacious squares, and splendid buildings, this city must appear filthy, irregular, and even half ruinous. The streets are narrow and tortuous; the houses on each side like piles of mud, stone, and timber, heaped together without order. A plain portal, or a gaudy fountain, or a mosk rich in the minute details of Saracenic architecture, is the only thing that gives any variety. On approaching the centre of the city, however, the stranger's eye is soon attracted by the gay bazaars, and by the picturesque groups that, in their gorgeous costumes, crowd them, or lounge in the open cafés. Every Eastern nation and tribe has there its representative; and the whole resembles a bal costumé more than a scene of every-day life."

"A blood feud existed between the and the s; and the former, being irregular troops in the pay of the Government, were scouring the plain of Damascus, attacking and murdering little parties of Druzes wherever they could find them. The Pasha was either unable or unwilling to prevent these base and cowardly deeds; and thus, when it was the interest of the Government to conciliate the rebels, whom they were unable to subdue, and while they were compelled to supplicate foreign interference and mediation to aid them in their difficulties, they were permitting their own soldiers to perpetrate crimes which could not but excite the Druzes to revenge, and at the same time disgust those whose mediation they were soliciting"

"The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts."

"Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.And I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad."

"And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the LORD, went unto the high priest,And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?And he said, Who art thou, LORD? And the LORD said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.And he trembling and astonished said, LORD, what wilt thou have me to do? And the LORD said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the LORD in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, LORD.And the LORD said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.Then Ananias answered, LORD, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.But the LORD said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the LORD, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus.And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him:But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket."

"“Art thou out of thy mind? thou sleepest in Cairo and thou wakest in the morning at the gate of Damascus-city!”"

"“From what city art thou?” “From Damascus,” replied Nur al-Din; and Abu Nowas said, “By Allah, thou art from a blessed city, even as saith of it the poet in these couplets:— Now is Damascus a garth adorned · For her seekers, the Houris and Paradise-boys.”"

"The mid-day sun, with fiercest glare, Broods o’er the hazy, twinkling air; Along the level sand The palm-tree’s shade unwavering lies, Just as thy towers, Damascus, rise To greet yon wearied band.The leader of that martial crew Seems bent some mighty deed to do, So steadily he speeds, With lips firm closed and fixed eye, Like warrior when the fight is nigh, Nor talk nor landscape heeds.What sudden blaze is round him poured, As though all Heaven’s refulgent hoard In one rich glory shone? One moment,—and to earth he falls: What voice his inmost heart appalls?— Voice heard by him alone.For to the rest both words and form Seem lost in lightning and in storm, While Saul, in wakeful trance, Sees deep within that dazzling field His persecuted Lord revealed With keen yet pitying glance;And hears the meek upbraiding call As gently on his spirit fall, As if th’ Almighty Son Were prisoner yet in this dark earth, Nor had proclaimed his royal birth, Nor his great power begun.“Ah! wherefore persecut’st thou me?” He heard and saw, and sought to free His strained eye from the sight: But Heaven’s high magic bound it there, Still gazing, though untaught to bear Th’ insufferable light."

"A silver javelin which the hills Have hurled upon the plain below, The fleetest of the Pharpar’s rills, Beneath me shoots in flashing flow.I hear the never-ending laugh Of jostling waves that come and go, And suck the bubbling pipe, and quaff The sherbet cooled in mountain snow.The flecks of sunshine gleam like stars Beneath the canopy of shade; And in the distant, dim bazaars I scarcely hear the hum of trade.No evil fear, no dream forlorn, Darkens my heaven of perfect blue; My blood is tempered to the morn,— My very heart is steeped in dew.What Evil is I cannot tell; But half I guess what Joy may be; And, as a pearl within its shell, The happy spirit sleeps in me.I feel no more the pulse’s strife,— The tides of Passion’s ruddy sea,— But live the sweet, unconscious life That breathes from yonder jasmine-tree.Upon the glittering pageantries Of gay Damascus’ streets I look As idly as a babe that sees The painted pictures of a book.Forgotten now are name and race; The Past is blotted from my brain; For Memory sleeps, and will not trace The weary pages o’er again.I only know the morning shines, And sweet the dewy morning air; But does it play with tendrilled vines, Or does it lightly lift my hair?Deep-sunken in the charmed repose, This ignorance is bliss extreme; And whether I be Man, or Rose, O, pluck me not from out my dream!"

"Languidly the night-wind bloweth From the gardens round, Where the clear Barrada floweth With a lulling sound.Not the lute note’s sweet shiver Can such music find, As is on a wandering river, On a wandering wind.There the Moslem leaneth, dreaming O’er the inward world, While around the fragrant steaming Of the smoke is curled.Rising from the coffee berry, Dark grape of the South; Or the pipe of polished cherry, With its amber mouth.Cooled by passing through the water, Gurgling as it flows— Scented by the Summer’s daughter, June’s impassioned rose.By that rose’s spirit haunted Are the dreams that rise, Of far lands, and lives enchanted, And of deep black eyes.Thus with some sweet dream’s assistance, Float they down life’s stream; Would to heaven, our whole existence Could be such a dream!"

"Four great gates has the city of Damascus, And four Grand Wardens, on their spears reclining, All day long stand like tall stone men ⁠And sleep on the towers when the moon is shining."

"With every treacherous shell that had fallen, the enemies’ hopes would grow that Aleppo would become another Aleppo, one that never existed throughout history, an Aleppo that does not constitute with its twin Damascus the wings by which the homeland soars; rather an Aleppo whose people would stand with traitors in front of masters, kneeling and prostrating themselves before them, begging for a few dollars and much disgrace. That was in their dreams; but in our real world, with every shell that fell, fear fell and the will to challenge grew. With every martyr, nationalist spirit grew and faith in the homeland became stronger. In our real world, it remained the real Aleppo, the Aleppo of history, nobility, and authenticity. And because it is so, its people did not settle for steadfastness just in the sense of bearing of pain and suffering and acceptance of the status quo; but rather in the sense of work and production that persisted throughout the years of the siege despite the conditions that contradict any economic sense."

"And say besides that in Aleppo once, Where a malignant and a turbaned Turk Beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by th’throat the circumcisèd dog And smote him—thus."

"Her husband’s to Aleppo gone, master o’ th’ Tiger."

"This Aleppo is a City in Syria; the name of which hath beene so oft changed by Turkes, that the true Antiquity of it, can hardly be knowne: It is both large and populous, and furnished with all sorts of merchandize, especially of Indigo, and Spices, that are brought over land from Goa, & other places in India, which draweth a concurrance of all nations to it."

"Here I remember of a notable obedience done to the great Turke, by the great Bassaw of Aleppo, who was also an Emeere, or hereditary Prince: to wit, the yeare before my comming hither, he had revolted against his Emperour, and fighting the Bassawes of Damascus, and Carahemen, overcame them: The yeare following, and in my being there, the Grand Signior sent from Constantinople a Showse, and two Janisaries in Ambassage to him: where, when they came to Aleppo, the Bassaw was in his owne Countrey at Mesopotamia: The messengers make hast after him, but in their journey they met him comming backe to Aleppo, accompanied with his two sonnes, and sixe hundred Horse-men. Upon the high way they delivered their message, where he stood still, and heard them: The proffer of Achmet was, that if he would acknowledge his rebellion, and for that treason committed send him his head, his eldest Sonne should both inherit his possessions, and Bassawship of Aleppo, otherwise he would come with great forces in all expedition, and in his proper person he would utterly raze him and all his, from the face of the earth."

"At which expression, the Bassaw knowing that he was not able to resist the invincible Armie of his Master, and his owne presence, he dismounted from his horse, and went to counsell with his sonnes, and nearest friends: where he, and they concluded, it was best for him to dye, being an old man, to save his race undestroyed, and to keepe his sonne in his authority and inheritance: This done, the Bassaw went to prayer, and taking his leave of them all, sate downe upon his knees, where the Showse stroke off his head, putting it in a Boxe, to carry it with him for Constantinople. The dead corps were carried to Aleppo and honourably buried, for I was an eye witnesse to that funerall feast: And immediatly thereafter, the Showse by Proclamation and power from the Emperour, fully possessed the sonne in his Fathers lands, offices, Bassawship, and the authority of all the Easterne Syria, part of Mesopotamia, and the Assyrian Countrey; for this Bassaw of Aleppo is the greatest in commandement and power of all the other Bassawes in the Turkes dominions; except the Bassa, or Beglerbeg of Damascus; and yet the former in hereditary power, farre exceedeth the other; being a free Emeer, and thereupon a Prince borne: The force of his commandement reacheth to eighteene Sanzacks, and thirty thousand Timariots, besides Janisaries, and other inferiour souldiers, which would make up as many more."

"Between Muhammad’s death and the collapse of the Umayyad caliphate in 750, Arab armies appeared everywhere from central Asia, through the Middle East and north Africa, throughout the Visigothic Iberian Peninsula, and even into southern France. They imposed Islamic governments and introduced new ways of living, trading, learning, thinking, building, and praying. The capital of the vast caliphate they established would be Damascus itself, crowned with its Great Mosque—one of the masterpieces of medieval architecture anywhere in the world."

"Damascus is the Capitall Citie of Syria, called by Turkes, Shamma, and is situated on a faire Plaine, and beautified with many Rivers on each side, (especially Paraphar and Abdenah) excellent Orchards, and all other naturall objects of elegancy: That for situation, Artizens, all manner of commodities, and varietie of fruits, in all the Asiaticall Provinces it is not paralelled. By Turkes it is called, the Garden of Turkie, or rather their earthly Paradice, because of a fenced Garden there, where a Garison of Turkes lie continually keeping that tree Mouslee, whereon as they alledge the forbidden Aple grew, wherewith the Serpent deceived Eve, and shee Adam, and from whence the great Turke is also styled, keeper of the terrestriall Paradice."

"In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates."

"My guides, sniffing the air like dogs, led me from crumbling room to room, saying, 'This is jessamine, this violet, this rose'. But at last Dahoum drew me: 'Come and smell the very sweetest scent of all', and we went into the main lodging, to the gaping window sockets of its eastern face, and there drank with open mouths of the effortless, empty, eddyless wind of the desert, throbbing past. That slow breath had been born somewhere beyond the distant Euphrates and had dragged its way across many days and nights of dead grass, to its first obstacle, the man-made walls of our broken palace."

"Now scantier limits the proud arch confine, And scarce are seen the prostrate Nile or Rhine; A small Euphrates thro' the piece is roll'd, And little eagles wave their wings in gold."

"All the superior religions had their growth between the and the Euphrates."

"To the right is Manda ḏ-Hiia; he has erected a throne for Yušamin at the mouth of the Fraš-Ziwa (Euphrates)."

"Every object and being in the universe is a jar overflowing with wisdom and beauty, a drop of the Tigris that cannot be contained by any skin. Every jarful spills and makes the earth more shining, as though covered in satin."

"The heavens were separated from the earth, … my father Enlil created me in a single day, and then the Tigris charged like a great wild bull."

"Tigris! Torrent of four thousand years, Millions, men of war sucking at your strength, Living in holes at your side, Agape as you broke bridges, sent ferrymen adrift! How many armies sought to cross you here, How muezzins lived and died, call’d to prayer; Yet you seemed aloof to all their striving, Your ripples looked indifferent to their stares, Their drinking, marching, gravities."

"In those ancient days, when the good destinies had been decreed, and after An and Enlil had set up the divine rules of heaven and earth, then ... Enki, the master of destinies, ... founded dwelling places; he took in his hand waters to encourage and create good seed; he laid out side by side the Tigris and the Euphrates, and caused them to bring water from the mountains; he scoured out the smaller streams, and positioned the other watercourses."

"By hand Enten guided the spring floods, the abundance and life of the Land, down from the edge of the hills. He set his foot upon the Tigris and Euphrates like a big bull and released them into the fields and fruitful acres of Enlil. He shaped lagoons in the water of the sea. He let fish and birds together come into existence by the sea."

"After day had broken and Utu had risen, the of the Land lifted his head high. The king combined the Tigris with the Euphrates. He combined the Euphrates with the Tigris. Large vessels were placed in the open air, and he stood small vessels beside them, like lambs lying on the grass."

"All those who have done odious deeds will be seated here into the stocks, until the Euphrates dries up at its mouth and the Tigris changes its course, until all the seas dry up and all the rivers, brooks and springs have overflowed."

"Syria is a melting pot. It existed like this, like it is today because it is a melting pot with multifarious cultures for centuries, before Christianity and after Christianity, before Islam and after Islam. If you have any change, dramatic change, in the demographic and social fabric of the Syrian society, you're going to have a big problem in the future regarding the future of Syria."

"Few who watched the Syrian revolution rise and unfold thought back to 1979, but the echoes would be obvious in hindsight—except everything was worse, as though all the players picked up where they had left off after the jihad in Afghanistan, or the Iran-Iraq War, or the 2003 Iraq War. The son of Sa’id Hawwa, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, was involved; Surur, author of the Magi book, was playing a key role rallying the Islamists; even the son of Arif Hussaini, the assassinated Pakistani allama, would show up in Damascus to meet Shia fighters. With appetites sharpened, everyone returned to the battle with renewed vengeance. There would be rivers of blood, millions displaced, millions of refugees. The war in Syria would break the Middle East. It would break the world. But first, it would destroy the lives of men like Yassin. In the fluid chaos of the revolution, he couldn’t know all the details about the forces lurking in the background. He focused on the possibilities, on the Syrianness of the revolution and the goodness in Syrians’ hearts; on the belief in the righteousness of their cause and their call for basic freedoms."

"Syria, using the term in its old, geographical sense, occupies a unique place in the annals of the world. Especially because of the inclusion of Palestine and Phoenicia within its ancient boundaries, it has made a more significant contribution to the moral and spiritual progress of mankind than any other comparable land. Small as it appears on a map or a globe, its historical importance is boundless, its influence universal."

"The Arab conquest of Syria in 632–42 was one of the most astonishing accomplishments of its age. In the first place it finally and permanently cut off an eastern wing of the Byzantine Empire, which had been Roman territory for nearly seven hundred years; the border of Byzantium was now pushed back to the Amanus Mountains on the eastern edge of Asia Minor, beyond which it would seldom reach for the rest of the Middle Ages. Much more significantly, though, Syria was one of the first major triumphs of a new power that was about to sweep across the world, branching out to the borders of China and the Atlantic seaboard of Europe, establishing an Islamic state that covered more than twelve million square kilometers. Between Muhammad’s death and the collapse of the Umayyad caliphate in 750, Arab armies appeared everywhere from central Asia, through the Middle East and north Africa, throughout the Visigothic Iberian Peninsula, and even into southern France. They imposed Islamic governments and introduced new ways of living, trading, learning, thinking, building, and praying. The capital of the vast caliphate they established would be Damascus itself, crowned with its Great Mosque—one of the masterpieces of medieval architecture anywhere in the world."

"I must also confess that I have always been fascinated by the history of your great nation. Often referred to, as the Cradle of Civilisation and the Gateway to History, Syria is not an alien country to Malaysians. For the Muslims, the history of Syria is written into our text books as we studied about the history of Islam and its great civilisation during the time of the Prophet (pbuh), his Sahabah like Sayyidina Abu Bakar, Omar, Othman and Ali as well as many other great Muslim leaders and warriors including Khalid ibn Walid, Nur al Deen and Salahuddin Al Ayubbi who struggled to spread the message of Islam or defended the religion against the Crusaders."

"Bashar al-Assad was playing the role of the son of the Levanter, offering his services to any would-be buyer through interviews with whoever passes through the corner of Damascus where he is hiding. At first glance, the Levanter may appear attractive to those engaged in sordid games. In the end, however, the Levanter must betray his existing paymaster in order to begin serving a new one. Four years ago, Bashar switched to the Tehran-Moscow axis and is now trying to switch back to the Tel-Aviv-Washington one that he and his father served for decades. However, if the story has one lesson to teach, it is that the Levanter is always the source of the problem, rather than part of the solution. ISIS is there because almost half a century of repression by the Assads produced the conditions for its emergence. What is needed is a policy based on the truth of the situation in which both Assad and ISIS are parts of the same problem."

"Oh people of Free Syria, building the homeland is the responsibility of all of us, and this is a call to all Syrians to participate in building a new homeland, in which there is rule through justice and consultation."

"Since 1961, Syria has been ruled by the Ba'ath Party, the same party that ruled Iraq until the fall of Saddam Hussein. Bashar al-Assad inherited the leadership of Syria from his father Hafiz al-Assad, in 2000. Bashar is the balancing point among the various Syrian power forces, including the military, the intelligence service, the nation's ruling party, and the government bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the people of Syria are not free to express their political opinions, much less choose their leaders."

"While the death toll in the trenches of Western Europe were close to 2 million by the summer of 1915, the extermination of innocent civilians in Turkey (the Armenians, but also Syrian and Assyrian Christians and large portions of the Greek population, especially the Greeks of Pontos, or Black Sea region) was reaching 1 million."