Editing Damascus (section)

===Rashidun period===
The [[Muhammad|Prophet Muhammad]]'s first indirect interaction with the people of Damascus was when he sent a letter, through his companion Shiya ibn Wahab, to [[Harith ibn Abi Shamir]], the king of Damascus. The letter stated: "Peace be upon him who follows true guidance. Be informed that my religion shall prevail everywhere. You should accept Islam, and whatever under your command shall remain yours."<ref>Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, [https://books.google.com/books?id=-ppPqzawIrIC&pg=PA227 The Sealed Nectar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512192332/https://books.google.com/books?id=-ppPqzawIrIC&pg=PA227 |date=12 May 2016 }}, p. 227</ref><ref name="history">Akbar Shāh Ḵẖān Najībābādī, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Pi5tAAAAMAAJ History of Islam, Volume 1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905215842/https://books.google.com/books?ei=L8VHVM-lPNT77Aaiw4CICw&id=Pi5tAAAAMAAJ&dq=kalbi |date=5 September 2015 }}, p. 194. Quote: "Again, the Holy Prophet "P sent Dihyah bin Khalifa Kalbi to the Byzantine king Heraclius, Hatib bin Abi Baltaeh to the king of Egypt and Alexandria; Allabn Al-Hazermi to Munzer bin Sawa the king of Bahrain; Amer bin Aas to the king of Oman. Salit bin Amri to Hozah bin Ali— the king of Yamama; Shiya bin Wahab to Haris bin Ghasanni to the king of Damascus"</ref>

[[File:Umayyad Mosque night.jpg|thumb|right|Courtyard of the [[Umayyad Mosque]]]]
After most of the Syrian countryside was conquered by the [[Rashidun Caliphate]] during the reign of Caliph [[Umar]] ({{Reign|634|644}}), Damascus itself was [[Siege of Damascus (634)|conquered]] by the [[Arab Muslims|Arab Muslim]] general [[Khalid ibn al-Walid]] in August–September 634 CE. His [[Rashidun army|army]] had previously attempted to capture the city in April 634 but without success.<ref name="Burns99">{{Harvnb|Burns|2005|pp=98–99}}</ref> With Damascus now in Muslim-Arab hands, the Byzantines, alarmed at the loss of their most prestigious city in the Near East, had decided to wrest back control of it. Under Emperor [[Heraclius]], the Byzantines fielded an army superior to that of the Rashidun in manpower. They advanced into southern Syria during the spring of 636 and consequently Khalid ibn al-Walid's forces withdrew from Damascus to prepare for renewed confrontation.<ref name="Burns100">{{Harvnb|Burns|2005|p=100}}</ref> In August, the two sides met along the [[Yarmouk River]] where they fought a [[Battle of Yarmouk|major battle]] which ended in a decisive Muslim victory, solidifying Muslim rule in Syria and Palestine.<ref name="Burns104">{{Harvnb|Burns|2005|pp=103–104}}</ref> While the Muslims administered the city, the population of Damascus remained mostly Christian—[[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Monophysite]]—with a growing community of [[Muslims]] from [[Mecca]], [[Medina]], and the [[Syrian Desert]].<ref name="Burns105">{{Harvnb|Burns|2005|p=105}}</ref> The governor assigned to the city which had been chosen as the capital of [[Bilad al-Sham|Islamic Syria]] was [[Mu'awiya I]].