Barzeh بَرْزَة | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Barzeh as seen fromMount Qasioun | |
 District map of Damascus | |
  Barzeh  Barzeh | |
| Coordinates:33°33′24″N36°19′14″E / 33.55667°N 36.32056°E /33.55667; 36.32056 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Damascus Governorate |
| City | Damascus |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
• Total | 47,339 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (EEST) |
| Climate | BSk |
Barzeh orBarza (Arabic:بَرْزَة,romanized: Barzah, also transliteratedBerzé) is amunicipality and a neighborhood to the north ofDamascus,Syria.[2] According to theSyria Central Bureau of Statistics, Barzeh had a population of 47,339 in the 2004 census.[1]
Barzeh's foundation dates back to at least Roman times. There is archaeological evidence of Roman and Aramean tombs in the area. Traditionally, it has always been a town of theGhouta and, therefore, closely linked to agriculture. Rice, oil and olives, and various types of fruit were produced. Barzeh was recorded asBerze on aTahrir Defter record in 1535; its population at the time consisted of 38 households, 4bachelors, and akhatib.[3] In the 20th century, it was absorbed into Damascus.
The municipality had beenactive in theSyrian civil war. TheSunni Arab Barzeh al-Balad neighborhood was largely pro-rebel. However, the neighboringAlawite "slum" Ish al-Warwar was largely pro-government.[4][5] The Barzeh area had been under truce between the rebels and government since 2014.[4][6]
On 1 April 2015, the rebels (Jaish al-Islam and theFree Syrian Army's First Brigade) launched a military campaign to expel theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant from the Barzeh andQaboun neighborhoods,[7][8] which succeeded three days later.[9] On 8 February 2016, an IS car bomb targeting a government officer's club killed eight people in Masakin Barzeh.[10]On 29 May 2017, the Syrian government regained control of the entire district.[11]
But on the night of Dec 7 and early hours of Dec 8, 2024, amid the lightning2024 Syrian opposition offensives, some residents claimed Syrian rebels(or their recon units) already gained a foothold in Barzeh during theBattle of Damascus.[12]
TheHigher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology has its main campus in the Hameesh area[13] of Barzeh.
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