Biblical Geography

Damascus

City · Old and New Testament · Damascus

Scripture first

Acts 9:1-6 · WEBU

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Near Damascus the Jesus stops Saul, and the road to Damascus becomes a byword for conversion.

Damascus is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Capital of the Aramean kingdoms that fought Israel, it reappears in the New Testament as the city where Paul was going to arrest Christians and instead became one.

The ancient oasis capital of Aram, on the road between Mesopotamia and Egypt, where Paul was converted.

Biblical names
Damascus
Modern identification
Damascus · Syria

Damascus exists because the Barada river comes out of the Anti-Lebanon range into the and dies there, watering a great oasis. Every caravan between Mesopotamia and Egypt had to pass through it.

  • Near Damascus the risen Jesus stops Saul, and the road to Damascus becomes a byword for conversion.
  • Eliezer of Damascus, Abraham's steward
  • Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus
  • The head of Aram is Damascus
  • Paul escapes Damascus in a basket through the wall

What we know

Certain

  • Damascus's antiquity and its role as Aram's capital are stated in Scripture and confirmed by continuous occupation.