Damascus Neighbourhood Awaits Parliament Decision Before Possible Reconstruction

Residents of the Damascus neighbourhood of Al-Asali are waiting for clarification regarding their property rights after the Damascus Governorate suspended work on the Basilia City project, which includes the district, until the next People’s Assembly decides its fate. The neighbourhood is completely destroyed and uninhabited, despite entry being permitted. Property owners remain unable to carry out any reconstruction or building while awaiting a final decision on the area’s zoning status.

On October 20, Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi, following his meeting with a delegation of property owners, told state media that work on the Basilia City project had been frozen until Decree No. 66 of 2012 is presented to the People’s Assembly for review, as the governorate has no authority to amend or repeal it. He explained that a specialised technical committee is currently being formed, comprising representatives from the relevant institutions and professional syndicates, as well as delegates from the two zones covered by Decree No. 66, to develop solutions and proposals and submit the necessary recommendations to redress grievances.

Al-Asali, a large informal settlement in the far south of Damascus, falls administratively under the Al-Qadam district. It developed around the Al-Asali Tekkiye, a religious endowment (waqf) established in the 17th century, with properties dedicated to its upkeep. Over time, the informal settlement expanded onto parts of the endowment’s land through encroachment and self-built housing, resulting in some homes being constructed on waqf land. Before 2011, tens of thousands of residents lived in the neighbourhood, most of them newcomers to Damascus from Daraa Governorate. During the war, the area was destroyed, with its homes and infrastructure devastated, rendering it uninhabitable. The district was first held by armed opposition groups between 2012 and 2015, then by the Islamic State until 2018. Since then, regime forces have maintained control, completing the destruction of roofs and the systematic removal of steel through organised looting operations.

Al-Asali was included within Decree No. 66’s second zoned area, Basilia City. In March 2018, the Damascus Governorate announced the issuance of the master plan for the entire Basilia City area and called on property owners to verify their ownership in order to determine their shares or the type of compensation later on. However, many residents were unable to provide proof of ownership because they were living abroad, in opposition-held areas, or had lost their documents, while others faced security persecution. Since part of Al-Asali’s land is waqf property, buildings on it were unlicensed and unrecorded in the official Land Registry.

The neighbourhood’s mukhtar (local representative), Mohammad Al-Labani, said that in addition to the homes built on waqf land, many other dwellings were constructed on private agricultural land where building is prohibited. The Syria Report’s local correspondent noted that the Ministry of Religious Endowments has no clear vision regarding the waqf properties it owns in the area, and the matter remains pending until Parliament determines the neighbourhood’s fate.

The mukhtar confirmed that the Damascus Governorate recently established a dedicated centre within the Decree No. 66 Department for residents of Al-Asali to register property ownership. He added that many owners have already confirmed their ownership after submitting the required supporting documents, such as sale contracts, powers of attorney, and electricity and water bills, emphasising that legal committees are reviewing the ownership verification requests submitted by residents.

The devastated neighbourhood remains deserted,  as a field of rubble where the outlines of homes are barely recognisable, The Syria Report correspondent noted. No one has returned since the fall of the Assad regime, as rebuilding what remains is impossible due to the destruction of infrastructure. The only visible activity was a group of workers restoring a mosque at the entrance to the district.

In mid-October, several residents staged a protest in front of the Damascus Governorate building, demanding the repeal of Decree No. 66 and the restoration of their rights, according to the mukhtar. He confirmed that none of the residents have so far been able to return to their homes, and that the remaining buildings have had their roofs stripped of iron.