| Show a R s yf irl file d M w 5 IM JUEN general allenby allanby and W WHEN his ats victor victorious lous army captured damascus from the turks they aliey took what is called calk tho the oldest efty city in the world tho the claim Is Iii based upon frequent mention in the old testa testament ment where it Is referred to by various names that aliat serve to identify it and in the now new testament josephus affirms that it was founded bycz by uz the son of aram who kave to the region the name of syria which it has hag retained to this day damascus was a flourishing trade center in Abra abrahams liams time one of the eari earliest lest novels in all literature equally so BO whether true or fanciful Is the lie story of the lie jewish taken captive by noaman naaman a syrian general 11 II kings naaman aps a leper but the captive suggested getting the advice of d a prophet at samarra Sa marla ile ho did so but when told to who bathe in tho the jor dari ari ho be was vexed saying that hat plenty of water existed nearer home however he did go to 0 o the jordan and was cleansed good story fit you doubt it tho the next time you yon visit vi sit damascus any of the ol 01 old d innab stants will point out Naaman Na omans house shouse ellsha figures in the early history of damascus don ben hadad 13 C at aag a guess ahin a king of D da amascus was burdei murdered e di and the assassin improved conditions so greatly that king killing become became popular the king of judea resented the success oft of the upstart monr monarch and with help from ruler of Assy assyria rin took the city and killed its ruler tills this made good a prediction of Isa isaiah lall the early prophets appear to have had it in for t the I 1 le pio people le at damas damai 1 cus they spent a great deal of 0 time in prophesying ill of that city and bad cess to their activities mot oj of their predictions came true the city was under the eway of assyria top for nearly 1000 years a mere episode dinits in its history ita Its people first awakened when the romans binder pompey moved in about 04 64 B 0 herod had controversies with the syrian rulers in ili which h he came cam ait oit on second best made familiar hy by st paul it la Is iri in now new testament times that one seems to bo be brought into most intimate touch with damascus the memorable journey hotst of st paul to the city of jerusalem andt andi till nil that happened during and after it atthe the street which la Is called straight 11 the house of judas t the ifie visit of ananias the 60 subsequent preaching of st sr paul in the synagogues the plots to kill him and hs his escape from the city by night lit tire all names and incidents familiar to christians the arld over it was waa to damascus too that st poul paul returned after his three years sojourn in the wilderness and in no fia other period in its long history does the ancient city on the ban banks of tho the abona seem to ame come 80 go clearly into view later on under trojan trajan damascus became a hoviin city andi and on olf the ho establishment of abo ahe seat of a bishop vho aho ranked next in n nut authority hority oft after erthe the patriarch of ian bloch even when 1 this point Is in ren benched ched a wealth of history still lies iles ahead there to la the tho great story ot of damascus under the kallas and of its ninny many trials which followed the removal of the kall kalafate fate to Ilog bagdad dad of the tho coining coming odthe egyptians the carma and the 8 of life cam and mighty conquests ut git I 1 tile tho Sa indin of tile the ravages of the mon gols and of bf tile the dual inclusion of Va damascus mascus within the ottoman empire early I 1 lh n i the sixteenth sixteen tl i century followed by a long yearn ot 0 bloh beautiful from a distance I 1 the modern damascus like the damascus of all the ages Is in its itel distant view as are many kastern cities a place of great beat beatify ity it lac lies 4 at the northern edge of the plain of tit at the foot of aho ho antl leb non anon feet above the thelea th esea and all around for a circuit if cf CO miles jest tend the famous orchards gardens vineyards and holds of damascus which have always made its ts fertility prove proverbial ibi n 1 throughout the east the arabs regard tt it as one of their four earthly paradises pose close city la Is not 0 so O beautiful the he rough mud walls of the contrast strangely with the s splendors pl endors within forthe houses house of damascus wita their mosaics and carved wood anil their cel ceilings bellings lings rich in arabesque ornaments elaborately glided are ard among the most beautiful ln jn tile the east the bazaars bazaar it however are the alid great tea fea damascus tile the masses of color colar and the lie wonderful yon derf ul effects of light ard shadow they present have made them the delight of 0 painters As has described such suh a scene see no lucre are displayed all the riches of theP the orient rient 1 yare rare carpets find and rugs from Per persia and shawls and kerchiefs of every dyg from tho the for interior of asia with gold and silvar in exquisite taste arof f barbi barbaric idt splendor there Is IB no pavement but the ground js 14 haird har hardrow tram drom of 0 drw forn a mat motley at thrine esever cseve passing tp to i ari d frohoc tur tui haried lidded men and of women closely yelled veiled W a rn musician u s ilan 9 ills his tambourine bo urine and cavaliere cavaliers cava liers irs oi or a train lok of camels slowly filing through thelong streets aid anre dim arid cool being arched in lugh above and through apertures aper tures the sunlight falls falla in misty streams on the gorgeous wares and moving multitudes beneath then theold city walls are arc still there roman gateways and the berb el Ml or the street which ts ier called blvd St straight inight still runs fi through trough the city from tho the eastern costern to the western gate ns as it did lit hundred indred years ago in the days of st paul V dw 61 N jw k hw 4 Z if W ka A i X T T T ar A I 1 0 1 I of damascus Damis cus |
