Upu
Upu, was the region centered on the city of Damascus in the Late Bronze Age.
History
Damascus was named Dimašqu / Dimasqu / etc., in the letter correspondence.Late Bronze Age
Battle of Megiddo
Trevor Bryce states that Upu was among the cities/kingdoms fighting at the Battle of Megiddo against Thutmose III of Egypt.Amarna period
In the Amarna Letters, the region is mentioned in three letters, EA 53, 189, and 197. Etakkama of Qidšu in the Beqaa is in partial control, between allegiance to Pharaoh, and conjoining forces with the king of Hatti.The intrigue of the three Amarna letters appears to involve areas to the north and northwest of Damascus, into Lebanon and the Beqaa.
EA 053. Qaṭna client letter
to mnam-ḫur-ia, the son of the Sun god, my lord, a message from kizzi, your servant. I fall seven times t the feet of my lord.
My lord, I am your servant, alive and not dead belong to my lord, and am now, my lord, the servant of my very lord in this place. In this place, I, myself, a now your very servant, the one who belongs to my lord, but the king of the land of Hatti is owsing Etakkama to campaign st me, and he has been desiring my head.
But now ma has sent a message to me and said: " with me to the king of the land of Hat! " I d: "How can I o the king of the land of Hatti? I belong to loypt." I sent a message and to the king of the land of Hatti.
My lord and this land . But if, so my lord should dispatch him as as so that he can come here aṭakkama. As my lord your face, he will become afraid, and the land of Ance to my lord.
My lord, Haddu/Teššub-nerari,, is an enemy of the land of H. of my lord, and the land of Nu his forefathers.. My lord, Ea came, and u, lands f my lord. And he captured the house . He captured 200 i, he captured 300 ingots, and he captured 100 ingots from the house of Biryawaza.
My lord, Tiwate of La and Arzawya of Ruhizu are at the disposal of Etakkama, and he is burning the land of Apu, lands of my lord, with flames.
My lord, just as I am loyal to the king, my lord, like so the king of the land of Nuhašše, the king of the land of Niya, the king of the land of Zinzar, and the king of the land of Tunanab; these ones are the entirety of the kings belonging to my lord, his servants.
As the king, my lord, is able to, he should ca. But if the king, my lord, does not campaign, my lord should dispatch the regular army so that it comes to this land. s, my lord, these kings are his servants, my lord’s official should command whatever their gifts so that they can give them.
My lord, if this land is a concern for my lord, my lord should dispatch the regular army so that it comes here. my lord’s messengers have arrived here.
My lord, if Arzawya of Ruhizu and Tiwate of Labana are present in the land of Apu, and Taššu is present in the land of ʿAmqu, my lord should know about them. As the land of Apu does not belong to my lord, daily they were sending messages to Etakkama and they said as follows: "Come here and capture all of the land of Apu!”
My lord, just as Damascus in the land of Apu at your feet, like so Qaṭna at your feet. My lord, one requests life for my messenger. s I am not fearful of my lor regular arm because the regular troops belong to lord, when he dispatches to me, will ent into Qaṭna.
EA 189. Qadesh client letter
To the king, my lord, a message from Etakkama, your servant. I fall at the feet of my lord, my Sun god, seven times plus seven times.
My lord, I am your servant, but the evil Biryawaza was defaming me before you, my lord – and while he was defaming me before you, he captured from me the entirety of my paternal estate outside of the land of Qidšu, and he sent my cities up in flames – but, look, the commissioners of the king, my lord, and his senior officials know my loyalty. Since I spoke to the senior official Puhuru, the senior official Puhuru should know that the house of
Biryawaza. In this manner, I serve you together with all of my brothers. Wherever hostility towards the king, my lord, I myself go together with my troops, together with my chariots, and together with all of my brothers. But, look, Biryawaza permitted all the cities of the king, my lord, to the habiru in the land of Tahšu and in the land of Apu. But I arrived – your gods and your Sun god were going before me – and I restored the cities to the king, my lord, from the habiru out of service to him, and I made the habiru go away. So the king, my lord, should rejoice concerning Etakkama, his servant. I serve the king, my lord, together with all of my brothers.
I serve the king, my lord, but Biryawaza caused all land to go out of control. His intention] is to do violence, but I am in perpetuity.
EA 197. Mušihuna client letter
id t your servant in A- “ his horses and his chariots to the habiru, and you did not to the king, my lord.” am I but a servant? Everything that is mine is for the king. Biridašwa saw this deed and incited the town of Yanʾuam against me. He shut the city gate behind me and captured the chariots from the town of ʿAštartu. He gave them to the habiru and did not give them to the king, my lord. The king of Buṣruna and the kign of Halunnu saw, and they waged war with Biridašwa against me. They said: "Come! Let us kill Biryawaza. We will not dispatch him tohšu."But I got away from their and stayed in Damascus. When that I was serving were saying, "We are tti," but I was saying, "I am a servant of the king of the land of Egypt." And Arzawya went to Qid. He brought ʿAḏi’s troops, and he seized Šaddu. He gave it over to the habiru; he did not give it to the king, my lord.
Look, Etakkama caused the land of Qidšu to go out of control, and this one, Arzawya, together with Biridašwa, is causing the land of Apu to go out of control. So the king should take care of his land lest hostile men capture it. Since my brothers are hostile to me, I am guarding Kumidu, the city of the king, my lord. The king should make peace for his servant; the king should not abandon his servant, the kings of and the land of Apu''' see i
I have seen the regular troops.
The translation " Damascus." is inaccurate and can cause confusion. It can be misunderstood as Apu and Damascus being two entities in a combined land. The transliteration kura-pi₂ and urudi-maš-qa, translates as Land of Api and city of Dimašqa, a more precise reading showing that the man went to the Land of Api and stayed in the city of Damascus.