Being the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, it is not unusual for Damascus, Syria, to be a muse and inspiration for artists and writers from all over the world.
Numerous individuals have praised and loved Syria, immortalizing its land and cities through their poetry. Here are six quotes that show true Damascus beauty and value:
1. Mark Twain
"We shall remember ...... Damascus, the 'Pearl of the East,' the pride of Syria, the fabled garden of Eden, the home of princes and genii of the Arabian Nights, the oldest metropolis on Earth, the one city in all the world that has kept its name and held its place and looked serenely on while the Kingdoms and Empires of four thousand years have risen to life, enjoyed their little season of pride and pomp, and then vanished and been forgotten."
2. Tahir Shah
"For me, a journey to Damascus is an amazing hunt from beginning to end, a slice through layers of history in search of treasure."
3. Said Akl
"Oh Sham with the mighty sword that never ceases… You are the words of glory in every book. Before you history was drenched in darkness, and after you it is written in the stars."
- Said Akl
4. Mahmoud Darwish
"In Damascus:
the traveler sings to himself:
I return from Syria
neither alive
nor dead
but as clouds
that ease the butterfly’s burden
from my fugitive soul."
5. Mark Twain
"Damascus, is simply an oasis, that is what it is. For four thousand years its waters have not gone dry or its fertility failed. Now we can understand why the city has existed so long. It could not die. So long as its waters remain to it away out there in the midst of that howling desert, so long will Damascus live to bless the sight of the tired and thirsty wayfarer."
6. Kamand Kojouri
"Heaven is standing atop Mount Qasioun overlooking the Damascene sights with the wind carrying Qabbani’s dulcet words all around you."