The capital city of Syria, Damascus is one of the great historic cities of the Middle East and is considered one of the oldest, if not the oldest, capital in the world with a history going back thousands of years.
It has a rich history, having been an important city to many empires throughout time, and countless ruling dynasties have called the city home.
At one point, Damascus was renowned as an important cultural and economic center in the Middle East and historic buildings dotted the city.
However, in recent years, the city has fallen into drastic decline and lost much of its historic splendor due to the Syrian Civil War and the conflict with ISIS.
Despite this, it still maintains an important role as the seat of power of the Syrian government.