In Damascus, Restoring Beit Farhi and the City’s Jewish Past An architect works to restore the grand palace of Raphael Farhi, one of the most powerful men in the Ottoman world ...

The symbolic raising was the first time the U.S. flag had flown above Damascus since Washington shut down its embassy in 2012 in response to violence that eventually killed over 650,000 people.

Reuters. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani stands next to U.S. envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack as he raises the American flag at U.S. ambassador's residency in Damascus, Syria May 29 ...

A train station in Damascus was once the pride of the Syrian capital, an essential link between Europe and the Arabian Peninsula during the Ottoman Empire and then a national transit hub ...

The Damascus Events: The 1860 Massacre and the Destruction of the Old Ottoman World by Eugene Rogan Allen Lane £35/Basic Books $33, 400 pages.

Reason for Designation: The ancient site preserves the architecture, art, and ambience of what may be the world’s oldest city. Even in a land as ancient as the Middle East the city of Damascus ...

Thomas Barrack raised the American flag over the ambassador's residence for the first time since the U.S. embassy closed in 2012, underlining a rapid expansion of U.S. ties with Damascus since ...