Al-Shaghour () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

and a neighborhood located in the old walled city of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, south and east of the Old City, and east of

al-Midan Al-Midan () is a neighbourhood and municipality in Damascus, Syria, south of the old walled city and near the modern city centre. In the 2004 census, it had a population of 177,456. Today, the neighbourhood is often considered to be one of th ...

. Al-Shaghour is one of the oldest recorded neighborhoods in the city. 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''. Old al-Shaghour is separated from

to the west by Al-Beit Street and from Harat al-Yahud (Jewish Quarter) by Al-Ameen Street. The latter, named after a prominent Shiite figure, is the main road in the neighborhood and accommodates the market place and the main shops. Al-Shaghour is also home to many of the prominent

Shia Muslim Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

families of Damascus.

History

During the

French mandate The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (; , also referred to as the Levant States; 1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate founded in the aftermath of the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire, concerning the territori ...

, part of the neighborhood, known as "Shaghour al-Juwani" was located within the Old City walls, while most of the neighborhood was 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. Al-Shaghour was a major center of resistance to French rule. Many of its inhabitants were involved in political activism and in the development of Syria's national political thought is the 1930s. Al-Shaghour was the home to several prominent intellectuals and political figures including the famous poet

Nizar Qabbani Nizar Tawfiq Qabbani (, , ; 21 March 1923 – 30 April 1998) was a Syrian poet. He is considered to be Syria's National Poet. His poetic style combines simplicity and elegance in exploring themes of love, eroticism, religion, and Arab empowermen ...

, the minister of defense of the

Kingdom of Syria The Syrian Arab Kingdom (, ') was a self-proclaimed, unrecognized monarchy existing briefly in the territory of historical Syria. It was announced on 5 October 1918 as a fully independent Arab constitutional government with the permission of the ...

Yusuf al-Azma Yusuf al-Azma (, ; ALA-LC: ''Yūsuf al-ʻAẓmah''; 1883 – 24 July 1920) was a Syrian military officer and revolutionary figure who was the minister of war of the Arab Kingdom of Syria under the governments of prime ministers Rida al-Rikabi and ...

, and

Hasan al-Kharrat Abu Muhammad Hasan al-Kharrat ( ''Ḥassan al-Kharrāṭ''; 1861 – 25 December 1925) was a Syrian revolutionary and one of the principal rebel commanders of the Great Syrian Revolt against the French Mandate. His main area of operations was i ...

, the most prominent rebel leader in Damascus during the 1925

Great Syrian Revolt The Great Syrian Revolt (), also known as the Revolt of 1925, was a general uprising across the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria and Greater Lebanon during the period of 1925 to 1927. The leading rebel forces initially comprised figh ...

.Neep, 2012, pp. 79-80.

Districts

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 Bab Sharqi (; "The Eastern Gate"), also known as the Gate of the Sun, is one of the seven ancient city gates of Damascus, Syria. Its modern name comes from its location in the eastern side of the city. The gate also gives its name to the Christ ...

(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). Shaghour al-Juwani is located in the Old City municipality and had a population of 2,506 in 2004.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Municipalities of Damascus, shaghour, ancient Neighborhoods of Damascus