Damascus is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities, hiding layers of history.

Countries & Cities · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Buried beneath modern Damascus lies an ancient city founded in the third millennium B.C. Enclosed by Roman-era walls, this historic center has been shaped by Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic cultures. Today, its dense archaeological ruins remain largely unexcavated, resting up to 2.4 meters below the current street level.

The old city of Damascus, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979, serves as a living palimpsest of human civilization. Its layout reflects a Roman foundation, featuring the Via Recta—a 1,500-meter-long decumanus that still functions as a major artery. This historic core, spanning approximately 86.12 hectares, is protected by a 4.5-kilometer circuit of walls originally built by Romans and later fortified by Ayyubid and Mamluk rulers. Because the city has been continuously built upon for millennia, much of its archaeological heritage remains inaccessible, trapped beneath the modern urban fabric.

Religious and cultural layers define the city's identity. The Umayyad Mosque, constructed between 705 and 715, stands on a site that previously hosted an Aramean temple, a Roman temple to Jupiter, and a Christian basilica. This layering is mirrored throughout the city, where sites like the House of Ananias—an underground chapel linked to the conversion of St. Paul—coexist with Ottoman-era markets like the Souk Medhat Pasha. The city's history is further marked by the presence of significant mausoleums, including the final resting place of the Ayyubid Sultan Saladin, built in 1196.

The city's strategic importance dates back to the second millennium B.C., when it was known as Ta-ms-qu, a contested zone between Hittite and Egyptian powers. Following the rise of the Arameans in the 11th century B.C., Damascus evolved into a central hub for trade and governance. In 2013, UNESCO designated the site as endangered due to the Syrian civil war, highlighting the fragility of these ancient structures. From the 18th-century Khan As'ad Pasha to the medieval Citadel of Damascus, the city remains a complex testament to the successive empires that have claimed it as their own.

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