Damascus in Islamic History
Suggest editThe Oldest Inhabited City
Damascus (دمشق), the capital of modern Syria, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It became a major center of Islamic civilization after its conquest in 634 CE by the Muslim army under Khalid ibn al-Walid and Abu Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrah. The city's strategic location on trade routes between the Mediterranean and the East made it a natural hub for culture, commerce, and scholarship.
Capital of the Umayyad Caliphate
In 661 CE, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan established Damascus as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate, inaugurating a golden age for the city. Under Umayyad rule, the Great Mosque of Damascus (the Umayyad Mosque) was built by Caliph al-Walid I between 705 and 715 CE. This architectural masterpiece became a model for mosque design across the Muslim world. The mosque houses what is believed to be the head of Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist).
Center of Learning
Damascus became one of the greatest centers of Islamic learning. Scholars from across the Muslim world traveled there to study and teach. Ibn Taymiyyah taught and was imprisoned in the Damascus Citadel. Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, his most famous student, also lived and worked there. Al-Nawawi, the great Shafi'i scholar and author of Riyad as-Salihin and his famous Forty Hadith collection, was based in the Damascus region.
Legacy
The Umayyad Mosque remains a functioning place of worship and a destination for visitors from around the world. Damascus's Islamic legacy is visible in its Old City, its numerous madrasas and mausoleums, and its continuing role as a center of traditional Islamic education. The city's scholars played key roles in preserving hadith literature, developing legal theory, and producing some of the most widely-read works in Islamic history.