War in Paradise
Jonathan Phillips explains how Damascus, ‘Paradise of the Orient’ and a spiritual home for Muslims, became a major battleground of the Second Crusade.
Damascus is the Paradise of the Orient ... the seal of the lands of Islam and the bride of the cities we have observed ... By Allah, they spoke truth who said: ‘If Paradise is on the Earth then Damascus without doubt is in it. If it is in the sky, then it vies with it and shares its glory.’
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