to Damascus: 1 Kings 19:15, 1 Kings 20:34; Genesis 14:15; Acts 9:2
in Damascus: Damascus, called also Damesk, but generally El Sham, by the Arabs, is situated in a delightful plain, well watered by the Barrada, at the eastern foot of Antilibanus, being surrounded by the hills in the form of a triumphal arch, 136 miles n of Jerusalem, 195 s of Antioch, and 276 ssw of Diarbekir. It is a city of the highest antiquity, being at least as ancient as the time of Abraham. It has been often captured, and several times demolished, but has always risen to splendour and dignity. The modern town is described by Maundrell as of a long, straight figure, it ends pointing nearly ne and sw It is very slender in the middle, but swells bigger at each end, especially at that to the ne According to Niebuhr, the walls are something less than a league and half in circumference; and the population is estimated at from 100,000 to 150,000.