Al-Shaghour
Al-Shaghour (Arabic: الشاغور) is a municipality and a neighborhood located in the old walled city of Damascus, Syria, south and east of the Old City, and east of al-Midan. Al-Shaghour is one of the oldest recorded neighborhoods in the city.[1] The traditional neighborhood is divided into the part located within the Old City walls, known as Shaghour al-Juwani, and the much larger part located outside the walls. The latter part has become a municipality known as "al-Shaghour" and includes the districts (hayy) of Shaghour al-Barrani, Bab Sharqi, al-Zuhur, al-Wihdah, al-Bilal, al-Nidal, Ibn al-Asakir and Rawdat al-Midan.
Old al-Shaghour is separated from al-Midan to the west by Al-Beit Street[2] and from Harat al-Yahud (Jewish Quarter) by Al-Ameen Street.[3] The latter, named after a prominent Shiite figure, is the main road in the neighborhood and accommodates the market place and the main shops.[1] Al-Shaghour is also home to many of the prominent Shia Muslim families of Damascus.[1]
History
During the French mandate, part of the neighborhood, known as "Shaghour al-Juwani" is located within the Old City walls, while most of the neighborhood is located outside the city walls and is known as "Shaghour al-Barrani". The total population of al-Shaghour was 18,715 in 1936, with 34% living in Shaghour al-Juwani and 66% living al-Shaghour al-Barrani. The entire population was Muslim.[4]
Al-Shaghour was major center of resistance to French rule. Many of its inhabitants were involved in political activities and in the development of Syria's national political thought is the 1930s. Al-Shaghour was the home to many prominent intellectuals and political figures including the famous poet Nizar Qabbani, the minister of defense of the Kingdom of Syria, Yusuf al-Azma,[1] and Hasan al-Kharrat, the most prominent rebel leader in Damascus during the 1925 Great Syrian Revolt.[5]
By the 21st century, Shaghour al-Barrani evolved to become the larger al-Shaghour Municipality, which in 2004 consisted of the city districts (hayy) of Shaghour al-Barrani (pop. 13,169), al-Bilal (pop. 21,408), al-Zuhur (pop. 37,367), Bab Sharqi (pop. 12,318), al-Wihdah (pop. 29,953), Rawdat al-Midan (pop. 4,887), al-Nidal (pop. 15,588) and Ibn al-Asakir (pop. 4,539).[6][7] Shaghour al-Juwani is located in the Old City municipality and had a population of 2,506 in 2004.[6][7]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Miller, Catherine (2007). Arabic in the City: Issues in Dialect Contact and Language Variation 5. Routledge. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-415-77311-9.
- ↑ Stoddart, Brian (2012). A House In Damascus - Before The Fall. Syracuse University Press. p. 129.
- ↑ Totah, p. 45.
- ↑ Khoury, Philip S. (November 1984). "Syrian Urban Politics in Transition: The Quarters of Damascus during the French Mandate" (PDF). International Journal of Middle East Studies 16 (4): 510.
- ↑ Neep, 2012, pp. 79-80.
- 1 2 "Syrian Arab Republic Damascus Governorate Reference map" (PDF). ReliefWeb. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
- 1 2 "The Results of Population and Housing of the 2004 Census: Damascus City". Syria Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
Bibliography
- Neep, Daniel (2012). Occupying Syria Under the French Mandate: Insurgency, Space and State Formation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 1107000068.
- Totah, Faedah M. (2014). Preserving the Old City of Damascus. Syracuse University Press.
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Coordinates: 33°30′22″N 36°18′23″E / 33.50611°N 36.30639°E