Dama is a village in southern Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....

, in As Suwaydā' Governorate

As Suwayda' Governorate

As-Suwayda is the southernmost of Syria's 14 governorates. It has an area of 5,550 km² and forms part of the historic Hawran region. Its capital and major city is As-Suwayda....

. It is located in the heart of the Lejah

Argob

Argob , a region located east of the Jordan River, on an island of rock which was approximately by , and rose 20 or above the table-land of Bashan. An extremely rugged region, sixty walled cities were on the island, which was ruled over by Og. In the New Testament, it is called Trachonitis...

 lava plateau, 29 km north west of the city of As Suwayda

As Suwayda

As Suwayda , also spelt Sweida, is a mainly Druze city located in southwestern Syria, close to the border with Jordan.It is the capital of Muhafazat as Suwayda, one of Syria's 14 governorates, bordering Jordan in the South and the governorates of Daraa in the West and Rif Dimashq in the North and...

.

The village, like most of the villages in Jabal el Druze

Jabal el Druze

Jabal al-Druze , also known as Jabal al-Arab is an elevated volcanic region in southern Syria, in the As-Suwayda Governorate. Most of the inhabitants of this region are arab Druze, and there are also small arab Christian communities. Safaitic inscriptions were first found in this area...

, was an old Roman location. Many of its houses are still in their original condition. The inhabitants are mostly Druze

Druze

The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...

 and their main occupation is agriculture.

Dama played a major role in the late stages of the Great Syrian Revolution (1925-1927). It hosted the important Dama Convention which resulted in the refusal of French proposals and the collapse of negotiations between the Druze rebels and the French.
It was also the site of some of the last battles in the revolution fought by guerrilla groups led by Emir

Emir

Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...

 Adel Arslan.

Dama and neighboring villages are thought to be the place where Saint Paul

Paul of Tarsus

Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...

 took refuge after escaping from Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

.