Damascus is the capital and the second largest city of Syria. In addition to being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious centre of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 (2009).Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the centre of a large metropolitan area of 2.4 million people (2004).

First settled in the 2nd millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed completely while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries.Damascus has a wealth of historical sites dating back to many different periods of the city's history. It was chosen as the 2008 Arab Capital of Culture.