Damascus( , also commonly known as ????? ash-Sh?m) is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world (see section: Ancient history), before Al Fayyum, and Gaziantep. Its current population is estimated at about 4.5 million. The city is a governorate by itself, and the capital of the governorate of Rif Dimashq (Rural Damascus).NameIn Arabic, the city is called Dimashq ash-Sh?m. Although this is often shortened to either Dimashq