Summary
Sarouja (Arabic: سَارُوجَة, romanized: Sārūjah) is a municipality of Damascus, Syria, due north of the Old Damascus. It was the first part of Damascus to be built outside the city walls in the 13th century.
Sarouja
سَارُوجَة | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
 Al-Jarn Al-Aswad Mosque in Sarouja | |
 | |
| Country |  Syria |
| Governorate | Damascus Governorate |
| City | Damascus |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 83,814[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Climate | BSk |
Etymology edit
The name comes from the word Turkish: Sarıca, which means yellow (as some researchers mention). The name of the neighborhood is also attributed to one of its leaders, who is Sarim Al-Din Sarouja, who died in 1342.
History edit
After this neighborhood was established by Mamluks, it was vandalized as a result of the conflicts of the princes in the Mamluk period, which led to the destruction of the entire Levantine Barani school and the situation worsened after Tamerlane occupied Damascus in 14th century. The place of the neighborhood became a base for his catapults that were bombing the Damascus Citadel, and the matter did not stop at this neighborhood, as Tamerlane burned Damascus, including Sarouja neighborhood, before withdrawing from it.
The neighborhood is famous for its souk, in addition to hammams, mosques and madrasas, dating back to the Mamluk Sultanate.[2][3]
On the 16th July 2023 a fire broke in the area destroying a large number of historic buildings, including the Palace of Abdul Rahman Pasha Al-Yusuf as well as partially destroying Al-Azm Palace, which contains the Center for Historical Documents.[4]
Districts edit
- Al-Adwi (pop. 16,088)[1]
- Al-Amarah (pop. 2,159)
- Fares al-Khoury (pop. 8,970)
- Masjid Aqsab (pop. 14,148)
- Al-Qassaa (pop. 11,467)
- Al-Qusour (pop. 15,568)
- Al-Uqaybah (pop. 8,813)
- Sarouja (pop. 6,601)
References edit
- ^ a b "CBSSYR : Arab Republic Office Of Prime Minister". CBSSYR. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
- ^ "حي ساروجة بدمشق القديمة.. اسطنبول الصغرى ومربط خيول الثوار والفاتحين". eqtsad.net (in Arabic). 22 October 2015.
- ^ ""حي ساروجة" تراث دمشقي"". alwatan.com (in Arabic). 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Syrians mourn loss of Damascus heritage sites after fire in 800-year-old Souk Sarouja". Arab News. 2023-07-20. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
33°30′55.5″N 36°17′55″E / 33.515417°N 36.29861°E