Vintage photos show what Syria's capital city looked like 50 years ago

Syria has been the site of one of the worst conflicts on earth for the past four and a half years. The most recognizable images of the country today depict bombed-out buildings, piles of rubble, and displaced citizens.

A collection of images taken fifty years earlier by Charles W. Cushman, an avid traveler and amateur photographer, are a stark contrast.

Though Syria saw a number of coups d'etat in the 1960s and in the decades before and after, Cushman's photos of downtown Damascus in 1965 paint a more mundane picture, showing families gathering, men riding donkeys, and shoppers in bustling bazaars.

These photos are being shared with permission from the Indiana University Archives.