Mezzeh is a relatively new neighborhood of 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...

, 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....

. It lies to the southwest of central Damascus, along the Mezzeh highway. It started gaining importance when the French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 constructed the Mezzeh military airport there, which was the main airport in Damascus until Damascus International Airport

Damascus International Airport

Damascus International Airport is a public airport located in Damascus, the capital of Syria. Officially opened in the mid 1970s, DAM is Syria's busiest international airport. The airport is experiencing significant annual passenger growth rates...

 was opened. It also held the notorious Mezzeh prison until 2000. The current presidential palace in on the top of Mount Mezzeh and overlooks all of Damascus.

Modern Mezzeh

Mezzeh is nowadays one of the most modern and expensive areas of Damascus, especially the areas along the Mezzeh highway. It is also a major embassy neighborhood.