CONTENTS

1. Syria through history
2. Birthplace of Civilization
3. Amorites
4. Canaanites
5. Arameans
6. Phoenicians
7. Persians
8. Greeks
9. Romans
10. Palmyra
11. Ghassanids
12. Omayyads
13. Abbasids
14. Tulunids
15. Akhshids
16. Hamadanis
17. Crusades
18. Turkish Mamluks
19. Circassian Mamluks
20. Ottomans
21. Before Independence

1. Syria through history

The name Syria was applied to the country stretching from the Taurusus Mountains (south of Turkey) to the Sinai desert (north-east of Egypt), and from the Mediterranean to Mesopotamia. The Arabs gave it the name of "Bilad al - Sham".

2. The Birthplace of Civilization

While historians may not agree on the exact place which witnessed the beginning of civilization, one thing is certain: the first place to witness the birth of civilization is within the triangle that includes the Yemen , the Nile Valley, and Mesopotamia and Ancient Syria.
While we may not know much about the first Arab waves of migration originating from the Arab Peninsula and moving northwards, to Mesopotamia, and to Ancient Syria in prehistoric times, we certainly know that the Fertile Crescent (Syria and Iraq), which is closely connected with the Arab Peninsula, is the first natural attraction and the nearest "Liebensraum" for the ever increasing Arab migrations. Every now and then great or small waves of migration are recorded to have occurred from the Arab Peninsula to Syria and Mesopotamia. History records the following :

1 - The Akkadian and Assyrian migration in the fourth Millennium B.C.
2 - The Amorite and Canaanite migration in the third Millennium B.C.
3 - The Nabatean and Palmyrene migration, towards the end of the first Millennium B.C.
4 - The Mondhirite and Ghassanid migration, in the second and third centuries A.D.
5 - The Arab Islamic movement in the seventh century A.D

3. The Amorites

The Amorites emigrated from the Arab Peninsula round 2500 B.C. and founded great Babylon in Mesopotamia, and the Kingdom of Agade and that of Mari, which is situated on �Tall Al-Hariri�, near the city of Al-Boukamal.

4. The Canaanites

The Canaanites settled in Syria and made great progress in the field of agriculture. Their cities were the meeting centers of three civilizations: those of Mesopotamia, Syria, and the Nile Valley.

5. The largest Aramean Kingdom established in Syria

Three thousand years ago, the Arameans settled in Syria. Damascus became the capital of the largest Aramean kingdom in Syria. The Arameans used the first Phonetic alphabet in the world in the fourteenth century B.C. This alphabet may have reached them through the Phoenicians on the Syrian coast. Reference is made to the Ras Shamra alphabet discovered in Ugarit. Soon the Aramean spread over the Fertile Crescent and was destined to be used by Jesus Christ. This old tongue is still living among many people in a number of Syrian villages.

6. The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians settled along the Syrian coast in the seventeenth century B.C. and founded many cities: Arados, Byblos, Beirut, Tyre, Sidon, and Ugarit. The Phoenicians were first people to gain complete mastery over the Mediterranean Sea and to found special cities on the African coast, in Spain, France, and even in the British Isles.

7. The Persians in Syria

The Persian kings expanded their kingdom by taking possession of Syria in 500 B.C. Subsequently Syria became one of their provinces, with Sidon as its capital. Syria remained under the rule of the Persians until 333 B.C.

8. Alexander The Great and the Greek rule

In 333 B.C. Alexander The Great defeated Darius III, king of Persia, and penetrated into Syria and Egypt via the Syrian coast, without facing any resistance. In 322 B.C. Alexander The Great died, leaving no heir to the throne. The disputes over the throne among his army leaders resulted in the partition of his kingdom . Syria was Seleucus's share. The Seleucids built Antioch and Lattakia. In this era the Hellenistic civilization spread over all Syrian cities, unrivaled by any other culture.

9. The Roman Conquest of Syria

The Roman occupation of Syria took place in 64 A.D. As a result of this occupation, Damascus, Beirut, Palmyra, and Baalbeck were given Roman national privileges.
Syria was considered one of the most important Roman provinces, and is known to have supplied Rome with Syrian emperors. History records the name of the Syrian Emperor Septimus Sevirus and Julian, his Homsi wife. This Syrian Emperor was not the first or last Syrian to rule the Roman Empire. His dynasty supplied Rome with a number of rulers, the last of whom is the Arab Emperor Philip.

10. The Military Glories of Palmyra

Glorious Palmyra sprang in the midst of the Syrian desert. Its ruins which are carefully preserved and looked after reflect its old history, which goes back to the eleventh century B.C.
Between 130 and 270 A.D., Palmyra flourished and prospered and saw its golden days, its trade relations stretching as far as China in the east. Palmyra was ruled by the legendary Zenobia who was known as �Queen of the east�. Zenobia was so powerful as to defy Rome take possession of Syria, Egypt, and Asia Minor.

11. The Ghassanids

The Ghassanids are Arab tribes who settled in the south and south-west of Damascus. Their kingdom reached its apogee in the sixth century A.D.

12. The Omayyads in Damascus

Damascus witnessed the rise of the Omayyads in 661 A.D., and subsequently became the capital of the Islamic Empire. The Omayyad State was a markedly Arab state. The Omayyads reached the zenith of their glory in the reign of Al-Walid Ben Abdul-Malek during whose reign the Islamic Empire came to include Sind land, Turkey, and Spain. Thus the Empire extended as far as the Pyrenees in Europe, the Atlantic in Africa, and the Chinese borders in Asia. In the Omayyad Period, Syria witnessed its golden days. To day Omayyad monuments still remind the visitor of a glorious and fabulous past, which paved the way for the Renaissance in Europe. In 750 A.D. the Omayyad State was supplanted by that of the Abbasids.

13. The Abbasids

The Abbasids established their rule in Iraq, and Baghdad replaced Damascus, the seat of their Omayyad rivals, as the capital of the Islamic Empire.

14. The Tulunids

Ahmad Ben Tulun, the Turk, established the Tulunid State, which lasted from 868 to 906 A.D. During this period, Syria enjoyed a measure of stability and prosperity.

15. The Akhshids

During the rule of Mohammad the Akhshid, of Turkish origin, and founder of the Akhshid State, which lasted from 937 to 972 A.D. Syria enjoyed stability and prosperity similar to those it knew during the previous rule.

16. The Hamadanis

Sayf Al-Dawla, who had established a strong Arab state in Hamadan, conquered Aleppo and the neighboring areas in 944 A.D. and made it his capital. Under his rule the young state was powerful enough to fight the Byzantines and repel them from Northern Syria. Sayf Al-Dawla was a true example of the enlightened ruler who encourages poets, and men of learning, protects them and lavishes his generous gifts on them. Among the poets of his court were Ahmad Abou Al-Tayyeb Al-Mutanabbi and Ahmad Abi Firas Al-Hamadani. During his rule the Hamadanis were in constant wars defending Syria against the Byzantines.

17. The Crusades

The Crusades began in 1095 and ended in 1291 A.D., when the Crusaders left behind them all the territory they had conquered. Europe benefited a great deal from the Crusades as a result of the knights of the Cross coming into contact with the superior civilization of the East.
Arab armed struggle against the Crusades, which was crowned with complete victory, was led by such famous leaders as Imad El-Din Zanki, and Saladin, Al-Zaher Beibars and Al-Ashraf Qalawun.

18. The Turkish Mamluks

Syria was divided into six provinces during the rule of the Turkish Mamluks, who shouldered the responsibility of defending Syria against both Mongul and Crusader invasions, and displayed unusual ability and courage. Foremost among these are Al-Zaher Beibars, Al-Nasser Qalawun, and Al-Malek Al-Ashraf. The Dynasty comprises twenty four kings, who ruled Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, following the take over of government in 1252 A.D.

19. The Circassian Mamluks

The Turkish Mamluks were succeeded by the Circassian Mamluks in 1382 A.D. The Circassian Mamluks were in power for about one and a half centuries. To this period a number of architectural monuments are attributed. These include mostly mosques and schools. During this rule a great disaster befell Syria in the devastations of Timur Lang, the Tamburlain of Christopher Marlowe�s drama.

20. The Ottoman Conquest

When the Ottoman Turks invaded Syria in 1516 they found its people in great despair as a result of the anarchy in administration and the levying of exorbitant taxes. Thus the weak rulers gave way before the powerful army of the brave leader Sultan Salim I.
After the defeat of the Circassian Mamluks, the Ottoman Turks were in complete control of Syria. During the Ottoman rule, a number of independence movements more than disturbed the occupation power, caused a great deal of destruction and bloodshed, culminating finally in the driving out of the Turks from Syria towards the end of the First World War. Their rule had lasted four centuries.

21. Before Independence

The Syrian Congress held in Damascus following the First World War declared the independence of Syria. Subsequently General Ghoraud ordered his army to march on Syria. Following the battle of Meisaloun, the French army entered Damascus in 1920. They were not to leave Syria until April 17th, 1946, a day celebrated ever since as Syria's National Day. During the French occupation of Syria, a number of revolutions broke out against the French, who resorted to the bombing of Damascus and other cities during the 1925 Revolution. Damascus was also subjected to heavy bombardment before the French were forced to evacuate and bring an end to the French occupation of Syria.