Once the center of a huge empire, the capital of Syria, Damascus, is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Syria gained independence from France in 1946. In 1970, General Hafez Assad seized control of the country, maintaining control through brutally suppressing all dissent. In 2000 he was succeeded by his son, Bashar.

Officially a secular state, Muslims are given preferential treatment and the president must be a Muslim. Visas are not granted for missionary work. Overall the Christian minority is respected and there is freedom to worship, but any activity that could threaten the government or communal harmony is suspect, making it difficult to spread the gospel. Overall the Christian population has been decreasing because of emigration to the Americas and Africa.

• Pray that Christians will be able to reach out to the Muslim population.
• Pray for continued good relations between Christians and the authorities.