Bab Tuma ( ar, بَابُ تُومَا, Bāb Tūmā, meaning: "Gate of Thomas") is an area of the Old City 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 =
, ...
in
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 ...
,
and is also the name of one of the seven gates inside the historical walls of the city, which is a geographic landmark of
Early Christianity. The gate was named by the
Byzantines to commemorate Saint
Thomas the Apostle, one of the
twelve apostles of
Jesus Christ. The Romans first built the seven gates, and during their era, the gate was dedicated to
Venus.
The current gate was reconstructed by the
Ayyubids in the 13th century.
History
Famous historical residents of the borough of Bab Tuma include
Saint Paul
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; ...
(hence expressions such as "a
road to Damascus experience"); Saint
Thomas the Apostle himself, who, after lending his name to the neighborhood, went on to explore
India; Saint
Ananias;
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
writer
Alphonse de Lamartine;
Greek Orthodox theologian
Saint Joseph of Damascus
Joseph of Damascus (May 15, 1793 – July 10, 1860), born Joseph George Haddad Firzli ( ar, جوزيف جورج حداد الفرزلي), was a Greek Orthodox priest and educator who was glorified as a saint in 1993.
He is also known as "F ...
, founder of the Damascus Patriarchal School; Saint
Raphael of Brooklyn, the first Eastern Orthodox Bishop of
New York City (sent there by the
Czar
Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Nicholas II of Russia in 1895); and Syrian-born philosopher
Michel Aflaq, founder of the
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...
and
ba'athist ideology.
In the 16th century, following the conquest of
Antioch and
Alexandretta by the
Ottoman Empire after the
Battle of Marj Dabiq, the area of Bab Tuma became the seat of the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and the
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
el, Μελχιτική Ελληνική Καθολική Εκκλησία
, image = Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Damascus, Syria.jpg
, imagewidth = 200px
, alt =
, caption =
, abbreviatio ...
for the Northern
Levant (Syria,
Lebanon and Southern
Turkey), as well as or the
Syriac Orthodox Church
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus ...
, with the
Cathedral of Saint George, since 1959.
Gallery
File:Bab Touma Gate Damascus.jpg, Side view of Thomas' gate.
File:De poort Bab Tuma in de stadsmuur, Bestanddeelnr 255-5862.jpg, Thomas' gate in 1950, before the authorities tore down the shops, visible in the photo, to make way for a newly paved road.
References
{{Municipalities of Damascus, ancient
Gates of Damascus
Christian communities in Syria