Jaramana (Arabic: جرمانا) is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in the Ghouta plain. Its location, 3 kilometers southeast of the Syrian capital, makes it a bustling town in the greater Damascus metropolitan area, with a mostly Christian and Druze population.

History

Jaramana was visited by Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi in the early 13th-century and noted it was "a district of the Ghautah of Damascus."[3]

On August 28, October 29 and November 28, 2012, the town was hit by car bombings killing over 50 civilian residents, including several Iraqi and Palestinian refugees.[4][5][6] Later on December 12, the Institute for the Study of War reported the presence of Popular Committees (local self-defense militias formed to defend communities from armed extremists) in the area, along with the pro-government Shabiha who worked closely with government forces there.[7]

On March 20, 2018, rockets were fired at the town by unknown assailants, which resulted in the death of at least 44 people while injuring another 23.[8]

On March 1, 2025, clashes occurred between the Syrian Transitional Government and local Druze gunmen.[9]

Demographics

Since 2003 and the beginning of the Iraq War, large numbers of Iraqis have immigrated to Jaramana. According to the 2004 official census, the population of the city was 114,363.[1] By 2009, the refugee wave has swelled the population from around 100,000 to over 250,000.[10]

The refugee wave in Jaramana included a significant Assyrian Christian population from Iraq. In October 2006, the Assyrian community in Jaramana finally received a priest from Mosul, Iraq. The priest, Arkan Hana Hakim, claims there are now 2,000 Assyrian Iraqi refugees in the town Jaramana alone.[11]

There is also a Palestinian refugee camp near the town bearing its same name.

Jaramana is known for its rich Druze heritage but the majority of the inhabitants of the city are Iraqi christians. There are several Druze shrines and many churches in this city which is nearby the mainly Christian part of Damascus.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "" العقارات في مدينة جرمانا الأسعار نار" ("Real estate prices in the city of Jaramana are afire")" (in Arabic). Syria Steps. January 13, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  2. ^ 5950 dunums (595 ha.) " العقارات في مدينة جرمانا الأسعار نار" ("Real estate prices in the city of Jaramana are afire") Syria Steps 13 January 2010, in Arabic, last accessed 18 September 2010
  3. ^ le Strange 1890, p. 462.
  4. ^ "KUNA : Twelve people killed, 48 wounded in booby-trapped car blast in Jarmana, Syria - General - 28/08/2012". www.kuna.net.kw. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  5. ^ "Car bomb hits Syrian capital as truce comes to bloody end". NBC News. 2012-10-29. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  6. ^ "Car bombs kill 34 in Syria suburb". NBC News. 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  7. ^ Holliday, Joseph; Lynch, Michael (7 December 2012). "The Battle for Damascus: The Current State of Play in Syria". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  8. ^ "Incident Summary for GTD ID: 201803200031". START. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  9. ^ "Clashes between Syrian forces and Druze gunmen turn deadly". France 24. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
  10. ^ ""أسعار العقارات في جرمانا تتحدى الإنحدار .. والجمود لم " ("Real estate prices in Jaramana challenge Downgrade ..")" (in Arabic). De Press - Buildex Online. March 19, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
  11. ^ "Huge increase in number of Christian Iraqis fleeing to Syria". The Raw Story - German Press Agency. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2010.

Bibliography

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