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Damascus

Ancient name
Damascus
Modern name
Damascus
Modern country
Syria
Damascus, a city located in the foothills of Mount Lebanon and now the capital of Syria, rose to influence under the Ummayad dynasty in the 7th century. By Dati's day its importance as a capital had been eclipsed by Baghdad and Cairo, but it was still an important nexus where merchants from the Silk Road mingled with those from the Mediterranean. Although sacked by the forces of Timur (Tamerlane) in 1401, it remained a provincial Mamluk capital until 1516.
Coordinates
33.51, 36.31

The toponym Damascus appears in La Sfera in the following places:

Click on any citation to view it in context in the edition.

Map of the location P049

Variant spellings of Damascus in Sfera manuscripts

Variant Manuscripts
dalmasco Fo
damasca ME2
damascho Pad1, Pal8
Damascho Wie1
Damasco Cap1, Clas2, Luc2, MB
damasco Bal, Fo, NB, Pnc5
DAMASCO Med1
Damascus Clas2
doma / scho Ricc1
domascco Laur3
domascho Ashb2, He3, Magl2, Magl4, Marc1, Pal8, Par1, Pnc5, Ricc1, Ricc15, Ricc17, Ricc8, Yale4
Domascho Par1, Parm2
DOMASCHO Wie1
domasco Ashb2, Bal, He2, Laur3, Magl2, Marc2, Per2, Ricc15, Ricc8, To2
Domasco Parm2
dommascho Ashb4
donmascho Laur5
donmasco Fn9
Suggested citation
Beneš, Carrie. “Damascus.” Gregorio Dati’s La sfera = The Globe: A Digital Edition, February 10, 2026. https://la-sfera-staging-a8db029690a6.herokuapp.com/toponyms/damascus/.