Damascus Metro

The Damascus Metro (Arabic: ‎مترو دمشق) is a proposed Metro line network in Damascus, Syria. The Green Line would be the first stage in the development of this future public transport network.

Feasibility studies carried out by international consultants in 2002 have designed what could be the future Metro network, whose first stage will be the Green Line, between Moadamiyeh and Qaboun. The other means of public transportation (bus, microbus, train) will also be integrated to this future network, to optimize the synergy between these various modes.

Feasibility study

The city of Damascus is well known for its numerous ancient buildings, ruins and artifacts, especially in Old Damascus. According to the first stage of public consultation, the impact of the project on these historical sites was a big concern for a lot of people. The European Investment Bank will propose mitigation measures which will include the implementation of archaeological digs along the proposed corridor prior to the construction of the metro. These digs will help to identify the presence of potential archaeological relics which will therefore be avoided during the construction stage. If archaeological ruins are identified during the construction of the metro, the necessary steps will be taken in order to protect and preserve the artifacts. Archaeological ruins found during the construction of the metro could be displayed in the new stations, as is the case for metro projects around the world such as in Athens, Paris and Moscow. These will improve the aesthetics of the stations and will attract visitors.

Damascus

Damascus (Arabic: دمشق‎ Dimashq IPA: [ˈdiːmaːʃq]) is the capital and the second-largest city of Syria after Aleppo. It is commonly known in Syria as ash-Sham (Arabic: الشام‎ ash-Shām) and nicknamed as the City of Jasmine (Arabic: مدينة الياسمين‎ Madīnat al-Yāsmīn). In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major cultural and religious center of the Levant. The city has an estimated population of 1,711,000 as of 2009.

Located in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area of 2.6 million people (2004). Geographically embedded on the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range 80 kilometres (50 mi) inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau 680 metres (2,230 ft) above sea-level, Damascus experiences a semi-arid climate because of the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus.

First settled in the second millennium BC, it was chosen as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate from 661 to 750. After the victory of the Abbasid dynasty, the seat of Islamic power was moved to Baghdad. Damascus saw a political decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. During Ottoman rule, the city decayed while maintaining a certain cultural prestige. Today, it is the seat of the central government and all of the government ministries.

Damascus (disambiguation)

Damascus is the capital of Syria. It may also refer to:

Places

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Canada

United States

Damascus (horse)

Damascus (April 14, 1964 – August 8, 1995) was a Thoroughbred race horse sired by Sword Dancer (1959's Horse of the Year) out of Kerala (by My Babu) foaled at the Jonabell Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. In 1967, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes*, Jockey Club Gold Cup*, Wood Memorial, Travers Stakes, Dwyer Stakes (closing from 12 lengths back and spotting the runner up 16 pounds), and Woodward Stakes and was named Horse of the Year and champion three-year-old colt, plus he shared the champion handicap male honors with Buckpasser. Also in 1967, Damascus finished third in the 1967 Kentucky Derby. A high-strung horse, he was enervated by the humidity and spooked by the crowd noise, so he was thereafter given a stable pony to calm him. During the same year, top horses Dr. Fager and Buckpasser were also competing. In Blood-Horse magazine's top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th Century, Buckpasser ranks 14th and Dr. Fager ranks 6th. In a race many consider the "Race of the Century," Damascus won the 1967 Woodward by 10 lengths over both of these horses after his connections, as well as those of Buckpasser, used stablemates to set a blistering pace, thus weakening Dr. Fager. Damascus himself ranks number 16 in the Blood Horse listing.