Despite a ban on wine, a corrupt ruler in this city was said to fill a pool with wine and bathe in it.
Despite a ban on wine, a corrupt ruler in this city was said to fill a pool with wine and bathe in it. Before founding the Cordoba emirate, a noble named Abd al-Rahman had to flee this city. Al-Walid built over a shrine of John the Baptist to construct this city's Great Mosque, near the burial sites of Nur al-Din, who acquired it after defending it from a Second Crusade siege. A government centered at this city, which fell after the Battle of Great (*) Zab, was founded by Muawiyah. In the pre-modern world, swords from this city had a wavy pattern on their surfaces, typical of its namesake pre-Toledo steel. In 750, this city lost out to Baghdad as the Islamic capital city. For 10 points, name this capital city of the Umayyad caliphs, which is now in Syria.
Despite a ban on wine, a corrupt ruler in this city was said to fill a pool with wine and bathe in it.
Damascus [or Dimashq]