STRAIGHT

A street in Damascus, Syria. (Ac 9:10, 11; PICTURE, Vol. 2, p. 748) During the Roman period, it was a major thoroughfare running from east to west through the city for approximately 1.5 km (1 mi). The center lane for vehicular traffic was about 15 m (50 ft) wide, with colonnaded walkways on either side for pedestrians, creating a grand avenue about 26 m (85 ft) in width. Still bearing an Arabic equivalent of the former name (Darb al-Mustaqim), but no longer completely straight, it runs W from the city’s East Gate. On this ancient street, at the house of a man named Judas, Saul of Tarsus stayed for a time after the glorified Jesus Christ appeared to him. In a vision, Jesus directed the disciple Ananias to this home on “the street called Straight” to restore Saul’s sight.​—Ac 9:3-12, 17-19.