WEBDamascus (/ d ə ˈ m æ s k ə s / də-MASK-əs, UK also / d ə ˈ m ɑː s k ə s / də-MAH-skəs; Arabic: دِمَشق, romanized: Dimašq) is the capital of Syria, the oldest current capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth holiest city in Islam. Known colloquially in Syria as aš-Šām (الشَّام) and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine" (مَدِيْنَةُ ...