Dama داما | |
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Village | |
  Dama Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates:32°57′10″N36°25′51″E / 32.95278°N 36.43083°E /32.95278; 36.43083 | |
| Grid position | 283/262 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | as-Suwayda |
| District | Shahba |
| Subdistrict | al-Ariqah |
| Population (2004 census)[1] | |
• Total | 1,799 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Dama (Arabic:داما) is a village in theAs-Suwayda Governorate of southwestSyria. It is located in the heart of theLejah lava plateau, 29 km north west of the city ofAs-Suwayda. According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Dama had a population of 1,799 in the 2004 census.[1]
Dama and neighboring villages are thought to be the place whereSaint Paul took refuge after escaping fromDamascus.[citation needed]
The village, like most of the villages inJabal ad-Druze, was an old Roman location. Many of its houses are still in their original condition. The inhabitants are mostlyDruze and their main occupation is agriculture.[citation needed]
In 1596 Dama appeared in theOttoman tax registers as part of thenahiya of Bani Abdullah, in theHauran Sanjak. It had an entirelyMuslim population consisting of 74 households and 28 bachelors. The villagers paid a fixed tax rate of 40% on various agricultural products, includingwheat,barley, summer crops, goats and/or beehives; a total of 12,000akçe.[2]
In 1838, Dama was noted as a ruin, situated "in theLejah itself", but also noted as "central point, which is considered the capital of Lejah".[3]
Dama played a major role in the late stages of theGreat Syrian Revolution (1925–1927). It hosted the important Dama Convention which resulted in the refusal of French proposals and the collapse of negotiations between the Druze rebels and the French.It was also the site of some of the last battles in the revolution fought by guerrilla groups led byEmirAdel Arslan.[citation needed]
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