The Damascus Events
The 1860 Massacre and the Making of the Modern Middle East
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 3 months for $0.99/mo
Buy Now for $32.62
-
Narrated by:
-
Ronan Summers
-
Written by:
-
Eugene Rogan
About this listen
On July 9, 1860, a violent mob swept through the Christian quarters of Damascus. For eight days, violence raged, leaving five thousand Christians dead, thousands of shops looted, and churches, houses, and monasteries razed. The sudden and ferocious outbreak shocked the world, leaving Syrian Christians vulnerable and fearing renewed violence.
Drawn from never-before-seen eyewitness accounts of the Damascus Events, eminent Middle East historian Eugene Rogan tells the story of how a peaceful multicultural city came to be engulfed in slaughter. He traces how rising tensions between Muslim and Christian communities led some to regard extermination as a reasonable solution. Rogan also narrates the wake of this disaster, and how the Ottoman government moved quickly to retake control of the city, end the violence, and reintegrate Christians into the community. These efforts to rebuild Damascus proved successful, preserving peace for the next 150 years until 2011.
The Damascus Events offers a vivid history, one that masterfully uncovers the outbreak of violence that unmade a great city and examines the possibility, even after searing conflict and unimaginable tragedy, of repair.
You may also enjoy...
-
Assad or We Burn the Country
- How One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed Syria
- Written by: Sam Dagher
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall14
-
Performance13
-
Story13
From a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist specializing in the Middle East, this groundbreaking account of the Syrian Civil War reveals the never-before-published true story of a 21st-century humanitarian disaster. In spring 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to his friend and army...
Written by: Sam Dagher
-
The Middle Kingdoms
- A New History of Central Europe
- Written by: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2
-
Performance2
-
Story2
An essential new history of Central Europe, the contested lands so often at the heart of world history Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history...
-
-
More of a personal vendetta than a history book
- By Anonymous on 2025-08-13
Written by: Martyn Rady
-
Hitler's First Hundred Days
- When Germans Embraced the Third Reich
- Written by: Peter Fritzsche
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance4
-
Story4
This “elegant and sobering” (The New York Times) history reveals how Germany’s fractured republic gave way to the Third Reich, from the breakthrough of the Nazi party to the rise of Hitler Amid the ravages of economic depression, Germans in the early 1930s were pulled to political extremes...
Written by: Peter Fritzsche
-
Istanbul
- A Tale of Three Cities
- Written by: Bettany Hughes
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall11
-
Performance10
-
Story10
Istanbul has long been a place where stories and histories collide, where perception is as potent as fact. From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names--Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul -- resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East...
-
-
A good approachable history of Istanbul
- By Devin on 2018-02-08
Written by: Bettany Hughes
-
Hell and Good Company
- The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made
- Written by: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance4
-
Story4
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning and bestselling author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, “The most extraordinary book about the Spanish Civil War ever encountered” (The Washington Post). The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) inspired and haunted an extraordinary number of exceptional artists...
-
-
Hell and Good Company
- By Eric Connolly on 2020-12-27
Written by: Richard Rhodes
-
Empireworld
- How British Imperialism Shaped the Globe
- Written by: Sathnam Sanghera
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
Bestselling author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera explores the global legacy of the British Empire, and the ways it continues to influence economics, politics, and culture around the world. 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter of...
Written by: Sathnam Sanghera
-
Assad or We Burn the Country
- How One Family's Lust for Power Destroyed Syria
- Written by: Sam Dagher
- Narrated by: Gary Tiedemann
- Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall14
-
Performance13
-
Story13
From a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist specializing in the Middle East, this groundbreaking account of the Syrian Civil War reveals the never-before-published true story of a 21st-century humanitarian disaster. In spring 2011, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad turned to his friend and army...
Written by: Sam Dagher
-
The Middle Kingdoms
- A New History of Central Europe
- Written by: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: John Curless
- Length: 22 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall2
-
Performance2
-
Story2
An essential new history of Central Europe, the contested lands so often at the heart of world history Central Europe has long been infamous as a region beset by war, a place where empires clashed and world wars began. In The Middle Kingdoms, Martyn Rady offers the definitive history...
-
-
More of a personal vendetta than a history book
- By Anonymous on 2025-08-13
Written by: Martyn Rady
-
Hitler's First Hundred Days
- When Germans Embraced the Third Reich
- Written by: Peter Fritzsche
- Narrated by: Jim Seybert
- Length: 14 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance4
-
Story4
This “elegant and sobering” (The New York Times) history reveals how Germany’s fractured republic gave way to the Third Reich, from the breakthrough of the Nazi party to the rise of Hitler Amid the ravages of economic depression, Germans in the early 1930s were pulled to political extremes...
Written by: Peter Fritzsche
-
Istanbul
- A Tale of Three Cities
- Written by: Bettany Hughes
- Narrated by: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 24 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall11
-
Performance10
-
Story10
Istanbul has long been a place where stories and histories collide, where perception is as potent as fact. From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names--Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul -- resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East...
-
-
A good approachable history of Istanbul
- By Devin on 2018-02-08
Written by: Bettany Hughes
-
Hell and Good Company
- The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made
- Written by: Richard Rhodes
- Narrated by: Christian Coulson
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4
-
Performance4
-
Story4
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning and bestselling author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, “The most extraordinary book about the Spanish Civil War ever encountered” (The Washington Post). The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) inspired and haunted an extraordinary number of exceptional artists...
-
-
Hell and Good Company
- By Eric Connolly on 2020-12-27
Written by: Richard Rhodes
-
Empireworld
- How British Imperialism Shaped the Globe
- Written by: Sathnam Sanghera
- Narrated by: Homer Todiwala
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
Bestselling author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera explores the global legacy of the British Empire, and the ways it continues to influence economics, politics, and culture around the world. 2.6 billion people are inhabitants of former British colonies. The empire's influence upon the quarter of...
Written by: Sathnam Sanghera
-
On Killing Remotely
- The Psychology of Killing with Drones
- Written by: Wayne Phelps (USMC Ret.) (USMC Ret.)
- Narrated by: Matt Kugler
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
A “can’t-miss for anyone interested in current military affairs,” On Killing Remotely reveals and explores the costs—to individual soldiers and to society—of the way we wage war today (Kirkus Reviews, starred). Throughout history society has determined specific rules of engagement...
Written by: Wayne Phelps (USMC Ret.) (USMC Ret.)
-
The Verge
- Reformation, Renaissance, and Forty Years that Shook the World
- Written by: Patrick Wyman
- Narrated by: Patrick Wyman
- Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall67
-
Performance59
-
Story59
The creator of the hit podcast series Tides of History and Fall of Rome explores the four explosive decades between 1490 and 1530, bringing to life the dramatic and deeply human story of how the West was reborn. In the bestselling tradition of The Swerve and A Distant Mirror, The Verge tells the...
-
-
Excellent book
- By Justin Currie on 2021-07-28
Written by: Patrick Wyman
-
The Habsburgs
- To Rule the World
- Written by: Martyn Rady
- Narrated by: Simon Boughey
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall28
-
Performance22
-
Story22
The definitive history of a powerful family dynasty who dominated Europe for centuries -- from their rise to power to their eventual downfall. Habsburgs ruled much of Europe for centuries. From modest origins as minor German nobles, the family used fabricated documents, invented genealogies...
-
-
Excellent History
- By L. C. on 2020-10-05
Written by: Martyn Rady
-
Julius Caesar
- Written by: Philip Freeman
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 14 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall18
-
Performance15
-
Story15
More than 2,000 years after his death, Julius Caesar remains one of the great figures of history. He shaped Rome for generations, and his name became a synonym for "emperor" - not only in Rome but as far away as Germany and Russia. He is best known as the general who defeated the Gauls and doubled the size of Rome's territories. But, as Philip Freeman describes in this fascinating new biography, Caesar was also a brilliant orator, an accomplished writer, a skilled politician, and much more.
Written by: Philip Freeman
-
Alexander the Great
- His Life and His Mysterious Death
- Written by: Anthony Everitt
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall7
-
Performance6
-
Story6
What can we learn from the stunning rise and mysterious death of the ancient world’s greatest conqueror? An acclaimed biographer reconstructs the life of Alexander the Great in this magisterial revisionist portrait. “[An] infectious sense of narrative momentum . . . Its energy is unflagging...
-
-
Excellent..!
- By Kindle Customer on 2025-08-24
Written by: Anthony Everitt
-
Ten Caesars
- Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine
- Written by: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall11
-
Performance10
-
Story10
Bestselling classical historian Barry Strauss delivers “an exceptionally accessible history of the Roman Empire…much of Ten Caesars reads like a script for Game of Thrones” (The Wall Street Journal)—a summation of three and a half centuries of the Roman Empire as seen through the lives...
-
-
Excellent career summaries for ten emperors
- By presterjohn1 on 2025-07-18
Written by: Barry Strauss
-
The Gates of Europe
- A History of Ukraine
- Written by: Serhii Plokhy
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5
-
Performance2
-
Story2
Ukraine is currently embroiled in a tense fight with Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and political independence. But today's conflict is only the latest in a long history of battles over Ukraine's territory and its existence as a sovereign nation. As the award-winning historian...
-
-
A good histor, ok narrator
- By Kevin W. on 2023-04-01
Written by: Serhii Plokhy
-
Philip and Alexander
- Kings and Conquerors
- Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall46
-
Performance40
-
Story40
In this definitive biography of father and son, an eminent historian "brings to life the full drama of ancient history" (Wall Street Journal) Alexander the Great's conquests staggered the world. He led his army across thousands of miles, overthrowing the greatest empires of his time and building...
-
-
excellent read
- By jeff olasz on 2021-06-06
Written by: Adrian Goldsworthy
-
Alexander at the End of the World
- The Forgotten Final Years of Alexander the Great
- Written by: Rachel Kousser
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 11 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
“A heart-pounding, mind-bending adventure.” —Ilyon Woo A riveting biography of Alexander the Great’s final years, when the leader’s insatiable desire to conquer the world set him off on an exhilarating, harrowing journey that would define his legacy. By 330 B.C.E., Alexander the...
Written by: Rachel Kousser
-
The Earth Is Weeping
- The Epic Story of the Indian Wars for the American West
- Written by: Peter Cozzens
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 18 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall10
-
Performance10
-
Story10
With the end of the Civil War, the nation recommenced its expansion onto traditional Indian tribal lands, setting off a wide-ranging conflict that would last more than three decades. In an exploration of the wars and negotiations that destroyed tribal ways of life even as they made possible the emergence of the modern United States, Peter Cozzens gives us both sides in comprehensive and singularly intimate detail.
-
-
Very informative
- By Robert Hoskins on 2021-10-31
Written by: Peter Cozzens
-
Hunting the Falcon
- Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe
- Written by: John Guy, Julia Fox
- Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall0
-
Performance0
-
Story0
“A fierce, scholarly tour-de-force. . . . Hunting the Falcon brilliantly shows how time, circumstance and politics combined to accelerate Anne’s triumph and tragedy."" —Tina Brown, New York Times Book Review “A sumptuous drama of lust, intrigue, and betrayal, underpinned by the harsh...
Written by: John Guy, and others
-
Iran
- A Modern History
- Written by: Abbas Amanat
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 41 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall36
-
Performance30
-
Story29
This history of modern Iran is not a survey in the conventional sense but an ambitious exploration of the story of a nation. It offers a revealing look at how events, people, and institutions are shaped by currents that sometimes reach back hundreds of years. The book covers the complex history of the diverse societies and economies of Iran against the background of dynastic changes, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and the rise of the Islamic Republic.
-
-
Excellent history of Iran from Safavid era to near present.
- By Jason Gacek on 2020-04-19
Written by: Abbas Amanat