Oldest city in the world
It is generally supposed that Damascus, the chief city of Syria, is the oldest city in the world...

It is generally supposed that Damascus, the chief city of Syria, is the oldest city in the world. Although positive evidence is wanting, there is some reason for believing that its site has been continuously occupied by a city longer than any other spot on the earth. The Jewish historian Josephus, who probably based his assertion on Hebrew tradition, attributed the foundation of Damascus to Uz, the son of Aram and the great-grandson of Noah. In Genesis 14 (Bible), it is related that Abraham pursued the routed kings to Hobah, "which is on the left hand of Damascus!' While this statement is not conclusive, the evidence indicates that Damascus was a place of importance already in the time of Abraham, who, it is supposed, lived 2,000 years or more before Christ.