Damascus
The History and Legacy of the Syrian Capital from Antiquity to Today
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Damascus
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Narrated by:
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Jim D. Johnston
About this listen
Throughout history, Syria has been dominated not by one great city but by two. Aside from Aleppo to the north, the religious and commercial metropolis of Damascus has been a place desired by the powerful. For thousands of years the Phoenicians, Hittites, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Christians, and Muslims all vied for control of the city.
Damascus has many important architectural sites dating from almost all eras of its history, and vestiges of the past have existed and been valued in Damascus throughout its existence. The history of Damascus from the Byzantine period to the 12th century is particularly fascinating, in terms of its role as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate and the changes that it experienced when the Abbasid Caliphate and Seljuk dynasty came to power.
At Damascus, the vibrant capital of modern Syria, one can experience the passion and spirituality of the many faiths that have coexisted in Syria for centuries. The stories of Damascus are a living embodiment of the age of Islamic renaissance; the city has one of the oldest and most important mosques in the world, and it has a vibrant history linked to the rise of Islam in the region.
The Umayyad Mosque is a wonderful example of the continuity of sacred sites in the city through the millennia. Although it has never been subjected to an archaeological investigation, this was probably the site of a temple of the Semitic thunder god Haddad, and it was certainly the site of the Roman cult of Jupiter following the amalgamation of Haddad with the Roman god, typical of the syncretic approach that the Romans took to foreign religions. It was also certainly the site of the Christian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist; in fact, it may be surprising to learn that the relics of St. John the Baptist are held within this mosque, and are revered by Muslims and Christians alike. Christians make up about 10 percent of the population, with the remainder being mostly Muslim. A number of Christian holy sites relating to the conversion and work of St. Paul - who is considered by many to be the main founder of the Christian church after Jesus - can be found in Damascus. The longstanding tolerance and respect between people of different faiths in Syria is a noteworthy feature of this exceptional city.
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Story4 out of 5 stars 15
This audiobook is about the city which houses the mighty Ziggurat - the Biblical “Ur of the Chaldees” where Abraham was supposedly born. The site near which the earliest human cultures were found. The site which held the most glorious Sumerian Dynasty in ancient history. This is the story of the city that was destined to die and be reborn every millennium or so, a city full of intrigue, magnificence, tragedy, and glory.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Highly Recommended
- By Wsil Ali on 12-09-18
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The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,091
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 950
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 945
In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Well Written and Detailed
- By Matthew G. on 01-26-18
By: Toby Wilkinson
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Istanbul
- City of Majesty at the Crossroads of the World
- By: Thomas F. Madden
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 283
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 248
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 248
For more than two millennia, Istanbul has stood at the crossroads of the world, perched at the very tip of Europe, gazing across the shores of Asia. The history of this city - known as Byzantium, then Constantinople, now Istanbul - is at once glorious, outsized, and astounding. Founded by the Greeks, its location blessed it as a center for trade but also made it a target of every empire in history, from Alexander the Great and his Macedonian Empire, to the Romans and later the Ottomans.
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1 out of 5 stars
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A History Without People
- By SeanO on 04-02-19
By: Thomas F. Madden
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The Assyrians: The History of the Most Prominent Empire of the Ancient Near East
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Tom McElroy
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 67
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
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Story4 out of 5 stars 58
When scholars study the history of the ancient Near East, several wars that had extremely brutal consequences (at least by modern standards) often stand out. Forced removal of entire populations, sieges that decimated entire cities, and wanton destruction of property were all tactics used by the various peoples of the ancient Near East against each other, but the Assyrians were the first people to make war a science.
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3 out of 5 stars
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A nice but brief summary.
- By Lance E. Edens on 12-23-15
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Achaemenid Empire: A Captivating Guide to the First Persian Empire Founded by Cyrus the Great, and How This Empire of Ancient Persia Fought Against the Ancient Greeks in the Greco-Persian Wars
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 1 hr and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 37
If ranked by population percentage, the Achaemenid Empire, also known as the First Persian Empire, is the largest Empire the world has ever seen with 44 percent of the world’s population belonging to it. But despite its remarkable conquests, riches, and astonishing achievements in fields such as engineering, the Achaemenid Empire has remained shrouded in mystery. But that is about to change. In this new captivating history audiobook, you will discover the truth about this startling empire.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Excellent research!
- By Ban on 06-25-19
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Justinian's Flea
- Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe
- By: William Rosen
- Narrated by: Barrett Whitener
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 438
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 236
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Story4 out of 5 stars 236
The emperor Justinian reunified Rome's fractured empire by defeating the Goths and Vandals. At his capital in Constantinople, he built the world's most beautiful building, married the most powerful empress, and wrote the empire's most enduring legal code, seemingly restoring Rome's fortunes for the next five hundred years. Then, in the summer of 542, he encountered a flea. The ensuing outbreak of bubonic plague killed 5,000 people a day in Constantinople and nearly killed Justinian himself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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More history than Disease
- By joan on 06-25-07
By: William Rosen
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Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
- By: Bettany Hughes
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 184
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 158
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 156
From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City", but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city but a global story.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A daunting undertaking pulled off superlatively
- By SGS on 12-24-17
By: Bettany Hughes
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The Bright Ages
- A New History of Medieval Europe
- By: Matthew Gabriele, David M. Perry
- Narrated by: Jim Meskimen
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 227
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 188
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Story4 out of 5 stars 189
The word medieval conjures images of the “Dark Ages”. But the myth of darkness obscures the truth; this was a remarkable period in human history. The Bright Ages recasts the European Middle Ages for what it was, capturing this 1,000-year era in all its complexity and fundamental humanity, bringing to light both its beauty and its horrors. The Bright Ages takes us through 10 centuries and crisscrosses Europe and the Mediterranean, Asia, and Africa, revisiting familiar people and events with new light cast upon them.
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1 out of 5 stars
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Does exactly what it claims to clarify
- By Aaron Rapozo on 12-13-21
By: Matthew Gabriele, and others
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The Templars
- The History and the Myth: From Solomon's Temple to the Freemasons
- By: Michael Haag
- Narrated by: Guy Bethell
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 265
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 229
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Story4 out of 5 stars 226
Arguably one of the most provocative, puzzling, and misunderstood organizations of medieval times, the legendary Knights Templar have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, while inspiring popular culture from Indiana Jones to Dan Brown. In The Templars, author Michael Haag offers a definitive history of these loyal Christian soldiers of the Crusades - sworn to defend the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but ultimately damned and destroyed by the Pope and his church.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Narrator ruined it
- By Amazon Customer on 10-19-17
By: Michael Haag
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In Search of the Dark Ages
- By: Michael Wood
- Narrated by: Marston York
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 62
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story5 out of 5 stars 59
In Search of the Dark Ages is an unrivalled exploration of the origins of English identity, and the best-selling book that established Michael Wood as one of Britain's leading historians. Now, on the book's 40th anniversary, this fully revised and expanded edition illuminates further the fascinating and mysterious centuries between the Romans and the Norman Conquest.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant!
- By Dee Goulet on 08-31-22
By: Michael Wood
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The Nile: Travelling Downriver Through Egypt's Past and Present
- The Vintage Departures Series
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 12 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 35
The Nile, like all of Egypt, is both timeless and ever-changing. In this audio, renowned Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson takes us on a journey downriver that is both history and travelogue. We begin at the First Nile Cataract, close to the modern city of Aswan. From there, Wilkinson guides us through the illustrious nation birthed by this great river.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Riverboat Cruise from the luxury of your phone
- By Amazon Customer on 02-20-20
By: Toby Wilkinson
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In God's Path
- The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire
- By: Robert G. Hoyland
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 233
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 203
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Story4 out of 5 stars 205
In just over a hundred years - from the death of Muhammad in 632 to the beginning of the Abbasid Caliphate in 750 - the followers of the Prophet swept across the whole of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain. Their armies threatened states as far flung as the Franks in Western Europe and the Tang Empire in China. The conquered territory was larger than the Roman Empire at its greatest expansion, and it was claimed for the Arabs in roughly half the time.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Islamic conquest history from the outside
- By SAMA on 01-22-15
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Hadrian's Wall
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 118
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 118
Stretching 80 miles from coast to coast across northern England, Hadrian's Wall is the largest Roman artifact known today. It is commonly viewed as a defiant barrier, the end of the empire, a place where civilization stopped and barbarism began. In fact, the massive structure remains shrouded in mystery. Was the wall intended to keep out the Picts, who inhabited the North? Or was it merely a symbol of Roman power and wealth? What was life like for soldiers stationed along its expanse? How was the extraordinary structure built - with what technology, skills, and materials?
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5 out of 5 stars
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Makes me want to Go there.
- By John Ciccariello on 06-07-18
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The Great Sea
- A Human History of the Mediterranean
- By: David Abulafia
- Narrated by: Jason Culp
- Length: 29 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 251
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 198
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Story4 out of 5 stars 198
Ranging from prehistory to the 21st century, The Great Sea is above all the history of human interaction across a region that has brought together many of the great civilizations of antiquity as well as the rival empires of medieval and modern times.
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4 out of 5 stars
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American Narration at it's Most Disapointing
- By Anonymous User on 03-26-18
By: David Abulafia
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Lost Civilizations
- 10 Societies That Vanished without a Trace
- By: Michael Rank
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 48
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Story4 out of 5 stars 48
Whether it is Plato's lost city of Atlantis, a technological advanced utopia that sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune"; the colony of Roanoke, whose early American settlers were swallowed up in the wild forest lands of the unexplored continent, or the Ancient American Explorers, who managed to arrive to the New World 2,000 years before Columbus, the disappearance of these societies is as cryptic as it is implausible. This book will look at cultures of the 10 greatest lost civilizations in history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Another Great Book from Michael Rank
- By MICHAEL H on 07-17-14
By: Michael Rank
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The Hyksos
- The History of the Foreign Invaders Who Conquered Ancient Egypt and Established the Fifteenth Dynasty
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4 out of 5 stars 38
During Egypt's Second Intermediate Period, a mysterious foreign group of people, known as the Hyksos, conquered Egypt and established the 15th and 16th Dynasties some time shortly after 1700 BCE. For centuries, the Hyksos rule over Egypt was an enigma shrouded in half-truths and myth.
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3 out of 5 stars
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This is more about what the Hyksos is not, this what it is.
- By cpdb on 12-17-19
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China
- A History
- By: John Keay
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 25 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 220
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 185
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Story4 out of 5 stars 182
Many nations define themselves in terms of territory or people; China defines itself in terms of history. Taking into account the country's unrivaled, voluminous tradition of history writing, John Keay has composed a vital and illuminating overview of the nation's complex and vivid past. Keay's authoritative history examines 5,000 years in China, from the time of the Three Dynasties through Chairman Mao and the current economic transformation of the country.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Needs new narrator
- By Betty on 10-16-16
By: John Keay