

DAMASCUS 



DAMIETTA. 



i 



'.!< Indus, and Sungur in Upper Scinde. The nature 

 of this district is described uuder the head AFOIUXISTAN, vol. i , 

 ooL 86. I>tra-Iikmtut-Kkan, the capital of the district, stand* on 

 the right bank of the Indus, in 81 50' N. Imt, 70 58' E. long., and 

 is inclosed by a wall of unburnt bricks about a mile and a half in 

 circumference. It has a population of about 8000, composed of 

 Boluobis, Afghans, Hindus, and Juts. Cotton tissues are extensively 

 woven here. The town has some trade, and is connected by a road 

 along the Indus and through the Kohat Pass, with Peshawur. 



There is a town called Daman, or Ztamatw, in the west of 

 Hindustan, on the Gulf of Cambay, about 60 miles S. from Surat. 

 It belongs to Portugal, and hat several churches, a Parsee temple in 

 which the fire has been kept burning (it is said) for above twelve 

 centuries, and a population of about 6000, who carry on some trade 

 and build coasting vessels. 



DAMASCUS (Damat; Et Sekam), the capital of Syria, both in 

 ancient and modern times, is situated in a fertile plain at the east base 

 of the Antilibanus, about 180 miles S. by W. from Aleppo, and 

 60 miles from the Mediterranean, in 33 27' N. lat, 36 25' E. long. 

 It is one of the most ancient towns in the world, being mentioned as 

 existing in the time of Abraham. (Genesis, xiv. and xv.) It is one 

 of the very few places which have maintained a nourishing existence 

 in all ages. Though often taken and devastated it has always risen 

 again, and has always been mentioned as one of the most delightful 

 situations in the world. It appears to have been in the time of David 

 or of Solomon (1 Kings, xi. 24) the capital of an independent king- 

 dom, which afterwards under the name of the kingdom of Syria was 

 engaged in wars with the Jews. It was subsequently annexed to the 

 empire of Assyria, afterwards to that of Persia ; it then fell into the 

 hands of the Macedonians, the Romans, and lastly of the Arabians, 

 A.D. 634, when it was taken by the lieutenants of the kalif Abu-Bekr 

 after the defeat of the forces of the emperor Heraclius in its neighbour- 

 hood. In the annals of the Church, Damascus is noted for the conversion 

 and first preaching of St. Paul. It became for a time the residence of 

 the kalifa, and after other vicissitudes was taken by the Turks under 

 Sultan Selim. In the late war between the Porte and Mehemet Ali, 

 pasha of Egypt, Damascus was taken by the troops of the latter, to 

 whom it was formally ceded in 1833, but was restored to the Porte 

 in 1840. 



The pasbalic of Damascus extends from north to south, from 

 Hamah on the Orontes down to the deserts of Arabia Petnca, south- 

 east of the Dead Sea, a length of about 4 degrees of latitude ; and it 

 comprehends the country of Haouran, and the other districts on the 

 east side of the Jordan, the Lake of Tiberias, and the Dead Sea, 

 besides the greater part of Judaea west of the Jordan, including Jeru- 

 salem and Nabloun. It is bounded E. by deserts, which divide it 

 from the valley of the Euphrates, N. by the pashalic of Aleppo, and 

 W. l.y the pashalic of Acre. Com, hemp, flax, madder, tobacco, 

 cotton, silk, and cochineal are the chief products. Live stock are 

 numerous. Except in the west the surface is level, and the cultivable 

 land is extremely fertile. The total population exceeds half a 

 million, exclusive of the Beduins. 



The view of Damascus from the neighbouring mountain of Saleyeh, 

 an offset of the Antilibanus to the north-west of the city, is very 

 impressive : it comprise* the town, with its numerous domes and 

 minarets; the extensive woods, orchards, and gardens with which it 

 it surrounded, clothed in perpetual verdure of various hues; and 

 beyond it the vast level plain stretching to the east farther than the 

 eye can reach, and bounded to the south-east by the distant moun- 

 tains of Haouran, the ancient Auranitis. The rivers Barada and 

 Phege', respectively the Abaiia and Pharpar of the Old Testament, 

 descending from the mountains furnish the city and the plain of 

 Damascus with a constant supply of water. The water of the Barada, 

 which is not good for drinking, it distributed into numerous canals 

 for irrigation, and is the main cause of the extraordinary fertility of 

 the country. The Phegd however has delicious water, which is 

 conveyed by aqueduct* and pipes to all parts of the city. The two 

 streams rise at the eastern bate of the Antilibanus. The scanty 

 surplus of their water* below Damascus forms a small lake called 

 Bahr-cl-Men. The town is about six miles in circumference, is sur- 

 rounded by old brick walls Calling to ruin in several places, and 

 contained in 184S a population of 111,652, of whom about 12,000 

 were Christian* and 6000 Jews. The rest are Mohammedan Syrians, 

 Arab*, and Turks. OuUido the wall* are extensive suburb*. Tho 

 teMta are narrow, and many of them have a gloomy, dilapidated 

 appearance, being lined with dead brick walls, which are entered by 

 small door* that open into the courts of the respective house*. Many 

 of UM* houses are splendid in the interior, the court* being paved 

 with marble and kept cool by fountains. There are no carriage* in 

 I huuascus, and but few cart* ; camels, hone*, mule*, and asses con- 

 stituting the means of conveyance. The Mohammedan* of Damascus 

 are the most fanatical and intolerant in Turkey, as they have proved 

 by their frequent massacre* of the Christian inhabitants. 



The city contains many handsome mocquea, the principal of which, 

 originally a Christian cathedral dedicated to 8t John, is 660 feet 

 long and 150 feet wide; three Franciscan convent*, in whirl, ti,.. 

 archbishop* of the Armenian, Melchite, and Syrian Catholics 

 respectively reside; several Christian churches belonging to the 



Greeks, Maronites, Syrians, and Armenians ; eight synagogue* ; an 

 extensive khan ; numerous bazaars all well supplied with goods ; 

 various hospitals and schools ; a Urge serai, or fortified palace, in which 

 the pasha resides in the centre of the city ; and an extensive citadel. 

 The great khan is a sumptuous building, the masonry being formed 

 of alternate layers of black and white marble. The spacious square 

 court within ha* a handsome fountain in the middle, and is surrounded 

 by a fine arcade of pointed arches, enriched with mouldings. On 

 the ground-floor are the entrances to chambers and magazines, 

 and a staircase and gallery lead to another series of apartment* 

 above. 



Damascus is a place of great trade, which is carried on by caravan* 

 to and from Baghdad, Mecca, Aleppo, &c. ; there is caravan communi- 

 cation daily to Beirut, Tripoli, and Acre. British and European 

 goods are imported to a considerable amount lu 1835 (according to 

 Messrs. Michaud and Poujoulat, ' Correspondence d'Orient,' there were 

 in Damascus 129 tanners' shops, 22 establishments for printing stuffs, 

 75 dyers of stuffs, 120 dyers of silk, 34 houses of silk-winders, 748 

 merchants of damask cloth, 211 grocers, 68 tobacco manufacturers, 

 72 saddlers, 11 tent merchants, 47 copper-smiths, 50 ironmongers, 64 

 farriers, 70 fur-merchants, 98 lacemen, 24 corn-merchants, 148 bakers, 

 58 millers, 122 coffee-houses, 32 confectioners, 59 public baths, 129 

 butchers, 71 tailors, 43 shops for pipes, 6 watchmakers, 200 haber- 

 dashers' stores, 4 glass-manufactories, 19 armourers, 4 soap-factories, 

 143 weavers, and more than 400 public cooks. The manufacture of 

 Damascus blades, once so famous, has declined long since : but good 

 sabres are still made. Saddles and bridles, both rich and highly 

 finished ; fine cabicet-work, inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl ; and 

 rich jewellery, are among the articles of Damascene industry. The 

 city is the seat of a tribunal of commerce. About 4000 looms were 

 employed a few years ago in the manufacture of silk and cotton goods. 

 The bazaars are better lighted, and have a more elegant appearance 

 than those of Cairo or Constantinople. Every class of commodities 

 has its own street or bazaar : in one they sell nothing but shoes, 

 another is occupied by the goldsmiths, &c. The town is well supplied 

 with snow and ice. from the neighbouring mountains ; ice-water, 

 mixed with the juice of figs or currants, is a favourite beverage. The 

 best coffee-houses of Damascus are situated in the suburbs, on a branch 

 of the Barada ; they are built of wood, and are cool and well shaded 

 from the sun, which is their chief attraction. 



Beirut is the port of Damascus. The exports and imports are 

 given under that head. [BEIRUT.] The great Hadji caravan, 

 consisting of from 50,000 to 60,000 pilgrims from various parts of 

 Turkey, goes every year from Damascus to Mecca. 1'oreign consuls 



>v, Mr in 



Coin of Damascus. Imperial Greek. 

 British Museum. Actual site. Copper. Weight, SITj gnuu. 



DAMIETTA, a town of Lower Egypt, on the right bank of one 

 of the principal branches of the Nile, and about six miles above it* 

 mouth, the ancient Phatniticum Ostium, in 81 25' N. lat, 31 40' 

 E. long. Old Domietta (Thamiatis) stood about four miles farther 

 north, and near the sea, which however has now receded from it : it* 

 scanty remains are seen near the village of Esbe, about two miles 

 from the shore. Thamiati* was a small town in the time of Stepbanu* 

 Byzantinus, but it increased gradually from the decay of Pclusium, 

 and drew to itself the trade of the latter. It was taken by the 

 Saracens, who surrounded it with strong walls and made it one of 

 the most commercial and wealthy towns of Egypt It was frequently 

 taken by the early crusaders. In 1249 Louis IX. landed with a 

 large armament, and took Thamiatis ; but having advanced inland, ho 

 was defeated and taken prisoner at Mansoura. The sultans of Egypt, 

 in order to prevent further attacks in that quarter, choked up the 

 mouth of the Nile by sinking large barges, filled with stones, and 

 thus formed a dangerous bar, which prevents large vessels from 

 entering the river. They also razed Thamiatis to the ground, and 

 removed the inhabitants farther inland. From these occurrences 

 arose New Damietta. 



Damietta has a population of about 28,000. It has some fine mosques, 

 several bazaars, and baths adorned with marble ; many of the house* 

 have pavilion* on the terraces for enjoying the cool breeze. But in 

 general the town is ill built It now carries on merely a coasting 

 trade with the Levant its general trade having been attracted to 

 Alexandria. The merchant-ships had to remain at anchor outside of 

 the bar, and load and unload by means of boats. Kice and dried fish 

 are the chief articles of exportation. The country around is a com- 

 plete garden, irrigated by nuinerouajcanals, and planted with all kinds 

 of fruit-trees, such as orange, lemon, fig, tamarind, pomegranate, Ac. 



