Darayya

Coordinates: 33°27′N 36°15′E / 33.450°N 36.250°E / 33.450; 36.250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Darayya, Dimashq
داريّا، الغوطة الغربية، دمشق
UTC+3 (EEST)
ClimateBSk

Darayya (

Rif Dimashq
.

History and population

Darayya is one of the oldest cities in

Sunni Muslims and Christians.[1] Patriarch Gregory III Laham, the former leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
was born here on 15 December 1933 as Lutfy Laham.

The city had a population of 131,501 as of 2004[update], making it the 19th largest city per geographical entity in Syria.[2] Darayya has an altitude of 689 metres (2,260 feet). After 2011, the number of inhabitants decreased gradually, as a result of the conflict between the Syrian government forces and the opposition forces, to seven thousand civilians and combatants until 26 August 2016. After that and as a result of the tight siege imposed on the city, the Syrian government forced the rest of the population to accept forced displacement to the North of Syria, so the city became empty of its residents. Recently, the Syrian government allowed some families to return to their homes after obtaining the necessary security clearances.[citation needed]

Darayya during the war

Darayya has seen heavy fighting during the

second time on 4 January 2013.[5] However, as of summer 2013 fighting continued in the city with most of the municipality controlled by the armed opposition forces.[6]

By mid-2016, the Syrian Army controlled approximately 65% of Darayya, steadily advancing and tightening the siege.[7] In August 2016, an agreement allowed for the evacuation of rebel fighters as well as civilians.[8] Some 700 rebels were safely transported to the rebel stronghold city of Idlib in the north.[9] This agreement was essentially a rebel surrender.

Amid the constant bombings and conflict, a group of young people (mostly former college students) have founded an underground public library that has amassed a collection of more than 15,000 books. Most of the books were found in the rubble of ruined houses, and the librarians are documenting the name of the homeowner so that the books can be returned after the war.[10] By 2019, 150,000 residents returned and began to rebuild and develop it, with supporting the efforts of the local council by various activities to restore the city’s commercial activity.[11]

Coordination and partnership between the local council in the city of Darayya and the people helped speed up the city’s recovery and the return of full services including water, electricity, sewage and roads, in addition to the rehabilitation of most government and service institutions and schools, according to Council President Munther Al-Azab.[11]

Climate

Darayya has a

cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
: BSk). Rainfall is higher in winter than in summer. The average annual temperature in Darraya is 17.1 °C (62.8 °F). About 211 mm (8.31 in) of precipitation falls annually.

Climate data for Darraya
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 12.2
(54.0)
14.0
(57.2)
17.9
(64.2)
22.8
(73.0)
28.6
(83.5)
33.3
(91.9)
35.5
(95.9)
35.8
(96.4)
32.1
(89.8)
27.1
(80.8)
20.0
(68.0)
14.3
(57.7)
24.5
(76.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 7.2
(45.0)
8.5
(47.3)
11.6
(52.9)
15.6
(60.1)
20.4
(68.7)
24.3
(75.7)
26.2
(79.2)
26.4
(79.5)
23.3
(73.9)
19.2
(66.6)
13.5
(56.3)
9.1
(48.4)
17.1
(62.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.3
(36.1)
3.0
(37.4)
5.3
(41.5)
8.4
(47.1)
12.2
(54.0)
15.4
(59.7)
16.9
(62.4)
17.1
(62.8)
14.5
(58.1)
11.4
(52.5)
7.1
(44.8)
4.0
(39.2)
9.8
(49.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 47
(1.9)
38
(1.5)
26
(1.0)
13
(0.5)
7
(0.3)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0
(0)
8
(0.3)
28
(1.1)
44
(1.7)
211
(8.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org [12]

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 148
  2. ^ General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
  3. ^ Mahmood, Mona; Harding, Luke (28 August 2012). "Syria's worst massacre: Daraya death toll reaches 400". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Сирия пересчитывает расстрелянных (Коммерсантъ, 27 августа 2012)
  5. ^ Сирийские войска вытеснили боевиков с юго-запада Дамаска Archived 6 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
  6. ^ Эвакуация раненого солдата под Дамаском Archived 10 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Fadel, Leith (5 August 2016). "Syrian Army seizes large chunks of strategic west Damascus town". Archived from the original on 25 June 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Syria Darayya: Deal reached to evacuate besieged town". bbc.com. 26 August 2016.
  9. ^ "Rebels to surrender Syrian town of Darayya to Assad's forces". The Guardian. 25 August 2016.
  10. ^ Minoui, Delphine (16 March 2021). "Hunting for books in the ruins: How Syria's rebel librarians found hope". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b إعادة إعمار مدينة داريا [Reconstruction of the Darayya City] (Motion picture). Syria: Syrian Arab News Agency. 14 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Climate: Quneitra". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  13. ^ "From Syrian Refugee to Olympic Swimmer: Yusra Mardini Goes for the Gold". Vogue. 24 March 2017.

Bibliography

External links