No 7

(Damascus)

Damascus, the Pearl of the East, is said to be the oldest city in the world with a continuous history – reaching from the time of Uz (Noah’s grandson) to the present day. Through the centuries, it has been called the “the head of Syria” and the “metropolis of the desert peoples.” Damascus is located in one of the most fertile areas in the world being fed by two well-known rivers in Biblical times, the Albana and the Pharpar (2 Kings 5:12 Naaman); these rivers are now called Barada and Awaj. It was in Damascus where Paul received his first Christian training by a devout follower named Ananias who was instructed by God to “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.” (Acts 9:11) The street called “Straight” still exists today and the “house of Ananias” is a cave-like chapel some twenty feet below the normal street level. The Great Mosque which ranks next in sanctity to the Mosques in Medina, Mecca and Jerusalem is the oldest and most venerated building in the city. During Constantine’s time, this structure was used by Christians and was dedicated to John the Baptist in the fourth century by Theodosius. When the Moslems captured Damascus in 634 AD, they turned it into a magnificent mosque. In its present state, the Great Mosque consists of a structure measuring 480 by 324 feet surrounded by masonry walls and has a magnificent dome; there are also a multitude of graceful minarets. One of these minarets is called the “Minaret of Jesus” where, according to Moslem tradition, Jesus will appear on the great Judgment day. There is an inscription over one of the doorways that says “Thy kingdom, O Christ, is an everlasting kingdom.”