Damascus

**Damascus** ( **', commonly kent as <big>الشام</big> ''al-Shām'', cried the "Ceety o Jasmin"  **') an aa, is the caipital an the seicont lairgest ceety o Sirie as well as the caipital o the Damascus Govrenorate. In addeetion tae be ane o the auldest continuously inhabitit ceeties in the warld, Damascus is a major cultural an releegious centre o the Levant. 
Currently, the ceety haes an estimatit population o aboot 1,711,000 (2009 est.).

Locatit in soothwastren Sirie, it is the centre o a lairge metropolitan aurie o 2.4 million fowk (2004), makkin it the kintra's lairgest metropolitan aurie. Geographically embeddit on the eastren fuithills o the Anti-Lebanon muntain range 80&nbsp;km (50&nbsp;mi) inland frae the eastren shore o the Mediterranean Sea on a plateau 680 metres (2,200&nbsp;ft) abuin sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate due tae the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows throu Damascus.

## Etymology
The name o Damascus first appeared in the geographical leet o Thutmose III as T-m-ś-q in the 15t century BC.
In Arabic, the ceety is cried دمشق الشام (*Dimashq al-Shām*), awtho this is aften shortened tae aither *Dimashq* or *al-Shām* bi the ceetizens o Damascus, o Sirie an ither Arab neighbors. *Al-Shām* is an Arabic term for north an for Sirie (Sirie—pairticularly historical Greater Sirie—is cried *Bilād al-Shām*—, "land o the north"—in Arabic.) The etymology o the auncient name "T-m-ś-q" is uncertain, but it is suspectit tae be pre-Semitic. It is attestit as 𒁲𒈠𒊭𒅗 **' in [[Akkadian leid|Akkadian]], 𒁲𒈠𒊭𒅗**' in Egyptian, ** () in Auld Aramaic an *Dammeśeq* () in Biblical Ebreu. The Akkadian spellin is the earliest attestation, foond in the Amarna letters, frae the 14t century BC. Later Aramaic spellins o the name aften include an intrusive *[[resh]]* (letter *r*), aiblins influenced bi the ruit *dr*, meanin "dwellin". Sicweys, the Qumranic *Darmeśeq* (), an *Darmsûq* () in Syriac. The Inglish an Laitin name o the ceety is "Damascus" which wis importit frae , which oreeginatit in Aramaic: דרמשק; "a well-watered place".

## Subdiveesions

Damascus is dividit intae mony destricts. Amang them thare are:

*Abbasiyyin
*Abu Rummaneh
*Al-Afif
*Al-Jisr Al-Abyad
*Amara
*Bahsa
*Baramkah
*Barzeh
*Dummar
*Ibn Asaker
*Jobar
*Kafar Souseh
*Malki
*Mazraa
*Mezzeh
*Al-Midan
*Muhajreen
*Qanawat
*Qassaa'
*Rukn Eddeen
*Al-Salihiyah
*Sarouja
*Sha'alan
*Al-Shaghour
*Tijara
*Zablatani

## Sports

Popular sports include fitbaa, basketbaw, soummin an table tennis. Damascus is hame tae mony sports clubs, includin Al Jaish, Al Wahda an Al Majd.

The fift an the seivent Pan Arab Gemmes wur held in Damascus in 1976 an 1992, respectively.

### Leisur activities
Coffeehooses, whaur—in addition tae Arabic coffee an tea—nargileh (watter pipes) are servit, proliferate Damascus. Card gemmes, tables (backgammon variants), an chess are activities frequentit in cafes.

Tishreen Pairk is bi far the lairgest pairk in Damascus. It is hame tae the yearly held Damascus Flouer Shaw. Ither pairks include Aljahiz, Al sibbki, Altijara an Alwahda. Damascus' Ghouta (Oasis) is a popular destination for recreation an aw. Thare are several recreation centers in Damascus includin several stadiums, soummin puils an gowf courses. Forby, The Sirie Arab Horse Association in Damasacus affers a wide range o activities an services for horse breeders an riders.

## Nearbi attractions

* Madaya: a sma muntainous toun weel kent holiday resort.
* Bloudan: a toun locatit 51&nbsp;km northwast o Damascus, its moderate temperatur an law humidity in simmer attracts mony visitors frae Damascus an throughoot Sirie, Lebanon an the Persie Guwf.
* Zabadani: a ceety in close tae the mairch wi Lebanon. Its mild wather alang wi the scenic views, made the toun a popular resort baith for tourists an for visitors frae ither Sirie ceeties.
* Maaloula: a toun dominatit bi speakers o Wastren Neo-Aramaic.
* Saidnaya: a ceety locatit in the muntains,  abuin sea level, it wis ane o the episcopal ceeties o the auncient Patriairchate o Antioch.

## Twin touns an sister ceeties
*  Dubai, Unitit Arab Emirates
*  Toledo, Spain
*  Córdoba, Spain
*  São Paulo, Brazil
*  Istanbul, Turkey
*  Yerevan, Armenie, syne 1997
*  Fars Province, Iran
*  Ningxia Region, Fowkrepublic o Cheenae
*  Ankara, Turkey syne 2010

## References

*eDamascus – Offeecial wabsteid for Damascus