Muadamiyat al-Sham (Arabic: المعضمية الشام, romanized: al-Muʿaḍḍamīyah ash-Shām; also spelled Moadamiyet al-Sham, Moadamiya or Moadamiyah) is a town in southern Syria, administratively a part of the Darayya District in the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located approx. 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) southwest of Damascus, within an area called the Western Ghouta.[1] Nearby localities include the centre of Darayya to the east, Jdeidat Artouz and Sahnaya to the south, and Qudsaya to the north.
Muadamiyat al-Sham
المعضمية الشام | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Muadamiyat al-Sham | |
| Coordinates: 33°28′N 36°11′E / 33.46°N 36.19°E | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | Darayya |
| Subdistrict | Darayya |
| Population (2004 census) | |
• Total | 52,738 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 52,738 in the 2004 census.[2] The town is "famed for its olive orchards".[3]
Muadamiyat was named after Al-Mu'azzam Isa, who was a Kurdish Sultan from Ayyubid dynasty ruled Damascus from 1218 to 1227.
During the Syrian civil war
editDuring the Syrian civil war, Moadamiyah was encircled and besieged by pro-government forces from April 2013, and was one of the areas of Damascus hit by a sarin attack on 21 August 2013 (the Ghouta chemical attack) during the Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013). When a Wall Street Journal reporter visited the town in October 2013, the population of the still-besieged town was down to an estimated 12,500, and residents said food supplies were exhausted.[3] During the Khan al-Shih offensive (October–November 2016), the rebels in control of the town agreed to surrender to the Syrian Army in September 2016.[4][5] The take-over occurred on 19 October 2016, most of the rebels choosing to leave for Idlib along with over 2000 residents.[6][7][8]
References
edit- ^ "Maadamiyeh/Damaskus - Wikimapia". Wikimapia.
- ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
- ^ a b Sam Dagher, Wall Street Journal, 2 October 2013, Syrian Regime Chokes Off Food to Town That Was Gassed
- ^ "Syria regime threatens besieged Damascus town with "total war"". Toronto Star. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ "Another besieged Damascus suburb surrenders". The National. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ^ "Another opposition-held Damascus suburb to be evacuated on Wednesday". The New Arab. 19 October 2016.
- ^ "Syrian forces move rebels and civilians from besieged Damascus suburb". Middle East Eye. 19 October 2016.
- ^ "Await for the start of a new displacement operation from the Western Ghouta to the Syrian north". Syrian Observatory For Human Rights. 19 October 2016.
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