Muadamiyat al-Sham

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. The town is "famed for its olive orchards".^[2]

Muadamiyat al-Sham المعضمية الشام
Town
Muadamiyat al-Sham
Coordinates: 33°28′N 36°11′E / 33.46°N 36.19°E / 33.46; 36.19
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)

Etymology

Muadamiyat was named after Al-Mu'azzam Isa, who was a Kurdish Sultan from Ayyubid dynasty ruled Damascus from 1218 to 1227. ^{[citation needed]}

History

In 1838, Eli Smith noted el-Mu'addamiyeh as being located in the Wady el-'Ajam, and being populated by Sunni Muslims.^[3]

Demographics

According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of 52,738 in the 2004 census.^[4]

Civil war

During 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.^[2] 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.^[5][6] The take-over occurred on 19 October 2016, most of the rebels choosing to leave for Idlib along with over 2000 residents.^[7][8][9]

References

1. "Maadamiyeh/Damaskus - Wikimapia". Wikimapia.
2. Sam Dagher, Wall Street Journal, 2 October 2013, Syrian Regime Chokes Off Food to Town That Was Gassed
3. Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 148
4. General Census of Population and Housing 2004. Syria Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). Rif Dimashq Governorate. (in Arabic)
5. "Syria regime threatens besieged Damascus town with "total war"". Toronto Star. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
6. "Another besieged Damascus suburb surrenders". The National. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
7. "Another opposition-held Damascus suburb to be evacuated on Wednesday". The New Arab. 19 October 2016.
8. "Syrian forces move rebels and civilians from besieged Damascus suburb". Middle East Eye. 19 October 2016.
9. "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.