Syria

The medieval region of Syria was generally understood to include the northern Levant and northern Mesopotamia; it was a major nexus for Silk Road cargoes coming through Samarkand, Damascus, and Aleppo. it had been under Mamluk control for much of the later Middle Ages but was captured by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1400. Please note: the quirks of medieval Italian spelling mean that textual readings vary between Syria and (ancient) Assyria, so Dati's reference is not always clear.