Straight Street, from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Via Recta ( ar, الشارع المستقيم ''al-Shāriʿ al-Mustaqīm''), known as the Street called Straight ( gr, τήν ῥύμην τήν καλουμένην εὐθείαν) in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

, is the old ''

decumanus maximus In Roman urban planning, a decumanus was an east–west-oriented road in a Roman city or castrum (military camp). The main decumanus of a particular city was the Decumanus Maximus, or most often simply "the Decumanus". In the rectangular street gr ...

'', the main

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

, of

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. It runs from east to west through the old city. According to the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its messag ...

(9:11),

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

stayed in a house on Straight Street. The western half of the street, including the

Midhat Pasha Souq Midhat Pasha Souq ( ar, سُوق مِدْحَت بَاشَا, Sūq Midḥat Bāšā) also called Al-Taweel Souq ( ar, سُوق الطَّوِيل, Sūq aṭ-Ṭawīl, english: ''Long Market'') is a historically important souq which forms the weste ...

, is today also known as "Midhat Pasha Street", while the eastern half, leading to the

Bab Sharqi Bab Sharqi ( ar, بَابٌ شَرْقِيٌّ, Bāb Šarqī; "The Eastern Gate"), also known as the Gate of the Sun, is one of the seven ancient city gates of Damascus, Syria. Its modern name comes from its location in the eastern side of the cit ...

gate, is known as "Bab Sharqi Street".

History

According to the

King James Version The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an Bible translations into English, English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and publis ...

of the English bible: :"And the Lord said unto him (i.e. Ananias), Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth". During the Greek period in Damascus, the city was re-designed by

Hippodamus Hippodamus of Miletus (; Greek: Ἱππόδαμος ὁ Μιλήσιος, ''Hippodamos ho Milesios''; 498 – 408 BC) was an ancient Greek architect, urban planner, physician, mathematician, meteorologist and philosopher, who is considered to ...

, who gave the city a grid structure. The longest of these streets, 1,500 metres in length across the city, was called Straight Street.Jones, Clifford M., ''New Testament Illustrations'', p.13
Retrieved August 2015 The

Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus The Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus, also known as the Maryamiyya Church ( ar, الكَنِيسَة المَرْيَمِيَّة, al-Kanīsah al-Maryamīyah), is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox churches in Damascus, Syria and holds the seat of t ...

was built on Straight Street in the 2nd century, and has been rebuilt multiple times since then.Daniel Demeter:
Damaskus – al-Mariyamiyeh Church.
' Syria Photo Guide, 16 July 2014. It currently serves as the seat of the

Antiochian Orthodox Church The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( el, Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας), also known as the Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( ar ...

. The western half of the street, including the

, is now named "Midhat Pasha Street", while the eastern half, leading to the

gate is named "Bab Sharqi Street".

Gallery

File:Damascus, Syria , the Straight Street from the W..jpg, The Straight Street, 1860s–1920s File:Souq Medhat Pasha 02.jpg ,

File:Damascus Old Town Midhat Pasha Street.jpg , Midhat Pasha Street File:Bab Sharqi Street, Damascus.jpg , Bab Sharqi Street File:Roman triumphal arch, Damascus.jpg , Roman triumphal arch on Damascus Straight Street File:Bab Sharqi, Damascus.jpg ,

References

External links

{{coord, 33, 30, 33, N, 36, 18, 41, E, type:landmark, display=title Ancient Damascus Streets in Damascus