بقلم: بنان الغفري* يشارك سكان مدينة دمشق العالم فزعه وخوفه وطُرق احترازه من مرض كوفيد ١٩ الذي يسببه فيروس الكورونا والذي بدأ يغزو جميع مجتمعات وسكان الأرض على حد سواء. إن الذي يميّز تجربة فيروس الكورونا عن غيره من الفيروسات المنتشرة في منطقة واحدة، كونُه وباء عالمياً يغزو أماكن متعددة بعيدة عن بعضها في آن […]
بقلم: نيقولا جاك عباجي* في هذه الأيام العصيبة، والعالم بأسره يعيش كابوس الحجر الصحي خوفاً من تفشي “فيروس كورونا المستجد”، تذكرتُ قصةً كان بطلها فارس بك الخوري، رئيس وزراء سوريا الأسبق، وواحدٌ من أبرز رجالاتها ومفكريها السياسيين. وهي قصة معبرة وقعت خلال الحجر الصحي في نهايات القرن التاسع عشر بسبب تفشي وباء الكوليرا. بدايةً، يُعد […]
أقامت “مؤسسة تاريخ دمشق” وهي مؤسسة خاصة غير حكومية وغير ربحية حفل إشهار لانطلاقها وتأسيسها وذلك في فندق الشرق لما لهذا المكان من أثر تاريخي حيث يعتبر من أهم فنادق دمشق وأهمها منذ افتتاحه عام 1934م، وحتى مطلع السبعينيات، حيث استقبل هذا الفندق كبار الشخصيات السياسية والفنية والأدبية التي زارت سورية واحتضن عدد كبير من المناسبات […]
Dr. Hayssam Kadah | Dimashq Blog Many are under the impression that the Muhajireen Quarter began as a shelter to refugees from the island of Crete in the last decade of the 19th century but this is neither precise nor quite accurate. As could be seen in this simplified plan, the first refugees from Rumelia were […]
Louis Allday | Originally published in CounterPunch The memories that I have of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, especially the atmosphere in its courtyard, are ones that I shall always cherish. The tragic events of the past four years have only served to make them more poignant. The mosque is located a twenty minute walk away […]
James Barr | Originally published in Syria Comment “Saladin, We’re Back!” So France’s general Henri Gouraud is said to have declared when he entered the Kurdish warrior’s tomb beside the Umayyad Mosque in August 1920 after the French had seized Damascus. The quote seems plausible enough. Gouraud, in the words of his lieutenant, Georges Catroux, viewed […]
Sami Moubayed | Originally published in Huffington Post The fabled Turkish baths of Damascus, or hammams, have been the subject of literature and film for decades. Not too long ago, they were a prime tourist attraction in the Syrian capital but many closed down and sunk into oblivion because of the spiraling violence after 2011. If […]
Fatima Bhutto | Originally published in Conde Nast Traveler Despite the destruction now synonymous with its name, the author remembers Damascus, the Syrian capital, as a childhood haven of peace. The last time I was in Damascus was eight years ago, when I returned for the wedding of my childhood best friend. It was August […]
Mohammad Sakhnini | Special to Dimashq Jounral As many people who visited Damascus during Ramadan before 2011 would recall, the city had always been keen on taking a moment of deep respite to show its best of traditional culture and music. The flaneur inside the city, in areas like Bab Al Amara, Salheyi, Meidan and […]
Faedah M. Totah | Special to Dimashq Journal Mark Twain remarked in Innocents Abroad, “Go back as far as you will into the vague past, there was always a Damascus.” Although, in my experience there is no need for going back to ancient history; rather walking in Damascus reveals how the city effortlessly moved from one […]