Damascus is one of the oldest cities in the world.
The population of city today is totaled of 3,5 million.
Geographically Damascus is located in a southwest corner of Syria. It is at bottom of a support of mountains of AntiLebanon – mountain Kasun, on border of fertile plain -Guta. The city is located only in two hours of driving from capital of Lebanon of Beirut and Jordanian border, and same hours of driving from temporary border with Israel on Gollans heights. Malulia and Sednay, as well as a Mosque Al Saida Zeinab are located from it less than in hour of driving.
From Damascus there are direct roads in ancient city Palmira, and also in Homs, Aleppo and Hama. Also from here there is a direct road to the Jordanian border, and on another you can get in Kanavat, Shaba, Bosra and other places in the south.
Damascus - one of most ancient on the Earth of cities. The first items of information on it meet in the Egyptian inscriptions, which age - four thousand years. There are mentions of Damascus and in Bible. There is told, that it was based by the great-grandson himself Noia, which called Uz. Headed by the commander Gneem Pompeem they came in Damascus in 64 before o. e. Grey stones higher is already inheritance of the Arabs who have appeared in Damascus in VII in. Of our era, having superseded from here. They built cities on a sample of the military camps - observing a strict rectangular lay-out.
Street, crossing old Damascus from east on west - direct heritage of the Roman lay-out. This street by is famous that is mentioned still in Bible, as is connected to the sacred apostle Paul. In youth the future apostle banished Christians, but all has changed when in a flow of light to it he was Jesus. Blinded Savl, so before christening called Paul, have resulted in city on a Direct street to certain Iuda. Where exactly on Via Recta there was a house of Iuda, it is not known. But on one of contiguous to it narrow street show other house connected to a name of the apostle Paul.
In Damascus also lived, one of the schoolboys of the Christ – Hanania. He has cured Savel of blindness, christened him, has named as a name Paul and blessed on missionary activity … … Here till now there was a bell tower - which bell tower Sacred Hanania - today refers to as where the first Christians of Damascus at one time were going. 
Sacred Hanani is considered as first episcops of Damascus. He one of seventy schoolboys of the Christ, which, how is told in Evangeli, "has sent before the person in any city and place, where itself wanted to go ". For the sermon of a Christianity Hanani was subjected of suffering death. On a legend Paul to not be seized, it was necessary urgently to leave Damascus. The adherents have helped him to run, having lowered in a basket from an urban wall.
The inhabitants of Damascus approve, that the flight of the apostle was held at a gate Bab Kisan, there is no time of the Roman gate Saturn, nowadays transformed in a Christian bell tower. In a bell towers the tourists show a basket - ostensibly exact copy by in which was lowered from a wall Paul. "The Flight Sacred Paul" is represented and on a plaster bas-relief in east limit of a bell tower. Pictures on evangelin plots here hang.
In fortress of a wall surrounding Damascus, eight gate. One of them now serves an entrance on the urban market al-Hamedi. 
The market works six days per one week, on Friday, as well as in all country. Since nine mornings till nine evenings life here boils. From bright beams of the sun of the dealers and buyers the vaulted roof with set of windows protects. The goods here - traditionally east. Most of all water pipe - till they refer to as "nargile.
Also, campaign on markets Bzuria (spicery and east of sweetness), Harika, Аль Сага (jeweller products), on "the silver market" and in other places at will (except for Friday)
The guide will lead you on the markets and shops with a wide choice of the goods and floppy prices and will learn to bargain.
1. The gold and silver products are rather cheap.
2. The jersey and fabrics can be bought by running metres or to order ready products, which will sew for the read out days (for example, curtain, cloth, bed-clothes). Sewing production, with gold and silver is rather popular.
3. Clothes and footwear of the European quality are sold in shops Assia (clothes for the men from the Italian fabrics), Benetton, Best Montana, Big Star, Naf Naf, and Stefaniel. There are leather products of quite good quality (more often in local studio), bags and footwear (firm Leathers), underwear, national costumes.
4. Sweetness and allsorts of typical Syrian cookies and sweets in gifts boxes.
5. Fruit and dryfruit, spice, olive of every possible grades and very much high qualities is sold in the grocery markets, some of which work round the clock.
6. Carpets of manual work and factory, from natural strings and with artificial fibres.
If you want to get souvenir weapon, carpets, pictures, before to buy, consult to the representative of the accepting company, whether there will be an opportunity to issue the sanction to export the Market al-Hamedi smoothly passes in a street Ban al-Barid. On it, reminding the unfinished Hollywood scenery, high of a column of a grey marble. It is everything that remained from a colonnade at one time decorating an entrance in a temple of Jove, constructed in the third century. And up to it on it the place was aramany a temple. When in Damascus came byzantian, they have reconstructed a temple in Christian church Hanania.
And already when the Arabs corrected the Christian church has turned to a mosque Omeyad - third on the importance in Muslims world. Islam, which was brought with themselves with the new owners of Damascus the Arabs, promoted prodperity of city. The Byzantian church Hanania was reconstructed in a mosque only through seventy years after a gain by the Arabs of Damascus. Before all the Christians - in east were asked in one building - Muslims in western wing of church. The mosque Omeyads, besides other, is famous for that is direct in it there is a Christian bell tower. In this bell tower if to trust local legends, there is a head Sacred Honania. On a legend it was found out in one of underground crypts of a Christian temple per 705 years by the Arabs, reconstructed a temple in a mosque. Unfortunately, the bell tower is now closed. By the way, this place is esteemed as the Christians, and Muslims. For Muslims Hanania, as many bible sacred, - one of the prophets. They name him Iahia.
Muslims of Damascus are going on a pray in a mosque Omeyads five times per day. That here there come the Christians to bow to the relic, kept in a bell tower, they concern quite quietly. In Damascus, really, Muslims and the Christians live in the world and consent already more than thousand years. For a long history the city has seen the governors of the most different creeds, and they named themselves differently: faraons, kings, halifs, sultans … Settled down at bottom of a mountain Kasun ancient Damascus quickly expands: in the fortieth years of the last century in it there were all three hundred thousand inhabitants, and today - more than four millions.
In city the high-speed highways are laid, the high-altitude houses, apartments. At all thus in Damascus still there is places, where it is possible not only to see, but also to hear the past. In the street Nofara in a southern part of Old Damascus in small cafe acts havati. Today to listen havati in cafe come in the basic tourists from next Lebanon, where the tradition of the oral story is already lost. You see a history at them with Syrians, as well as with many other Middle East peoples, general. Damascus experienced the periods of rises and falls, but always remained one of the main cultural centres of East. And as Syria becomes the more and more open country, ever more than people come to look at this city, covered with legends.
Mountain Kassion (Kasun) - not only one of the main ornaments of Damascus a place, where
Kain has killed Avel.
This mountain has height of 1155 m. above a sea level (height above "by a level of Damascus"
456 m.).
Magnificent kind on practically all cities from here opens; especially beautifully here in dark time of day. Halfway upward is located recently constructed castle of the president of Syria Kasr ash-Shaab. Hardly is restaurants and cafe above.
National museum in Damascus - assembly of unique exhibits of ancient civilizations from Messopotamia up to Finikii, collection of provincial antique art, reconstruction sinagogi from efrats of city Dura Europos (III in.) with unique for the time by frescos
A military museum in Damascus - one of richest in the world of collections of the ancient and medieval weapon.
