The descent of an ancient city into violence in the 19th century, the end of the old Ottoman order, and the beginnings of the Middle East.

On July 9, 1860, a violent mob swept through the Christian quarters of Damascus. For eight days, violence raged, resulting in five thousand Christian deaths, thousands of shops looted, and houses, churches, and monasteries razed to the ground. This sudden and brutal outbreak shocked the world, leaving Syrian Christians vulnerable and fearful of further atrocities.

Based on previously unknown eyewitness accounts of the events in Damascus, the prominent Middle East historian Eugene Rogan shows how a peaceful multicultural city came to be engulfed in slaughter. He describes the escalating tensions between Muslim and Christian communities that led some to see extermination as a reasonable solution. He also follows the aftermath of the destruction: how the Ottoman government quickly moved to regain control of the city, end the violence, and reintegrate Christians into the community – reconstruction efforts that proved successful, maintaining peace for the next 150 years until 2011.

The book thus traces the vivid history of the catastrophe experienced by a great city, and alongside it, the possibility of restoration, even after tumultuous conflicts and unimaginable tragedies.