Damascus

Article summary

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital city in the world. Known colloquially in Syria as and dubbed, poetically, the "City of Jasmine" ( ), Damascus is a major cultural center of the Levant and the Arab world. Situated in southwestern Syria, Damascus is the center of a large metropolitan area. Nestled among the eastern foothills of the Anti-Lebanon mountain range inland from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean on a plateau above sea level, Damascus experiences an arid climate because of the rain shadow effect. The Barada River flows through Damascus. Damascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. First settled in the 3rd 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. According to some, Damascus is the fourth-holiest city in Islam. The city saw its importance decline throughout the Abbasid era, only to regain significant importance in the Ayyubid, Mamluk and Ottoman periods. Today, it is the seat of the central government of Syria. During the Syrian civil war, Damascus was named the least livable city out of 140 global cities in the Global Liveability Ranking. , it was the least livable out of 173 global cities in the same Global Liveability Ranking.…

Key claims

1. date of death: 1104 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1169 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of death: 1193 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. date of establishment: 1908 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. date of establishment: 1919 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. date of foundation: 1215 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. members: 109 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. population: 30,000 people — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
9. publication date: 1836 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of death is "1104". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1169". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of death is "1193". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the date of establishment is "1908". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the date of establishment is "1919". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the date of foundation is "1215". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the members is "109 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the population is "30,000 people". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. The record states that the publication date is "1836". What evidence would count against this claim?
11. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
12. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378355105