James Baquet The West Asian (Middle Eastern) nation of Syria has the doubtful distinction of being the most violent country in the world due to armed conflict with several countries in the region. Nevertheless, it is an ancient land, whose slogan “Always Beautiful” may allude to the fact that both the largest city, Aleppo, and the capital, Damascus, are two of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Damascus may have been settled around 6300 B.C., though there is evidence of even older settlements in the area dating back to 9000 B.C. Aleppo is a relative latecomer, having been occupied since around 5000 B.C. Turkey lies to Syria’s north, with Iraq to the east and Jordan to the south. Israel is on the southwest, and Lebanon and the Mediterranean to the west complete the circle. Being located at something of a crossroads, Syria has a remarkably diverse population, made up of Arabs, Kurds and Turks, among others. Muslims are the country’s largest religious group, followed by Christians. Arabic is the sole official language. Even the country’s name is ancient. Once used to designate the entire area between Asia Minor (e.g. Turkey) and Egypt, “Syria” derives from the ancient kingdom of Assyria (founded in 2025 B.C.) and, ultimately, the city of Ashur, which was occupied from 2600 B.C. until the mid-14th century, when it was destroyed and its population massacred by the Turco-Mongol conqueror, Timur. At one time or another, the area now designated as the nation of Syria was part of the Eblan kingdom (dating to circa 3500 B.C.), the Umayyad Caliphate (from 661, shortly after the death of Muhammad), Egypt’s Mamluk Sultanate (founded in 1250), the Ottoman Empire (from 1516), and, from 1923 to 1946, France. Independence came when the Republic of Syria joined the United Nations in 1945, but it took the French a year to withdraw. For a few brief years, 1958 to 1961, Syria joined with Egypt in the “United Arab Republic,” but a 1961 coup d’etat led to the formation of the Syrian Arab Republic, the name by which the country is still officially known. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. center of activity, place where many pass through 2. one who came after others 3. slaughtered, killed en masse 4. surprisingly, notably 5. finally, at last 6. lived in, occupied 7. dubious, uncertain 8. around, approximately 9. having great variety 10. thing that sets something apart |