Did you know? The Byzantine Period in Syria started in the 4th century with the division of th Roman Empire into the Latin-speaking Western Roman Empire and the Greek-speaking Eastern Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine Period lasted until the middle of the 7th century, when the Arabs entered Damascus and established the Umayyad Empire. During this Period, Syria was the front line defence of the Byzantine Empire against the Persians. Continuous military pressure on this important defence line eventually lead to a weakened grip which allowed the Arabs to take over Syria....
Aaron Aschkarmy grandfather moved from damascus ere unfortunately i was never able to visit damascus and get to now my relatives is it possible that we are related Dimitri Ashkar dr med was my grandfather...