Nashabiya Residents Left to Their Own Devices to Repair War-Damaged Homes

The city of Nashabiya, in the East Ghouta area of Rural Damascus, is facing an escalating housing crisis, amid the widespread destruction inflicted during years of siege and bombardment, and the absence of any broad plan for reconstruction following the fall of the Assad regime.

Thousands of residents have returned to the city since late 2024, but find limited options for living there long-term: either staying in damaged or structurally unsafe homes, or bearing the cost of repairs they cannot afford, at a time when interventions by official bodies and international organisations fall far short of actual needs.

Nashabiya is about 19 kilometres from the centre of Damascus, and is situated near the Marj Al-Sultan Military Airport. It serves as the centre of the Al-Marj district, which includes around 28 villages and towns, granting it administrative and service-related weight within East Ghouta.

Historically, the city has been known for its agricultural importance and extensive cultivated lands, earning it the moniker of East Ghouta’s “food basket.” This agricultural role made Nashabiya an essential part of East Ghouta’s economic system before the war and one of its population centres. The most recent amendment to Nashabiya’s zoning plan was issued in 2011, according to which approximately 80 per cent of its construction is formally zoned, while 20 per cent consists of informal housing.

After 2012, the year Nashabiya came under opposition control, the city and nearby military airport were subjected to shelling by Assad regime forces. In late 2013, the city entered a prolonged phase of siege. It ended five years later with the withdrawal of opposition factions and those who rejected settlement agreements. The years of war resulted in the extensive destruction of residential buildings and infrastructure within the city centre, also affecting nearby villages. Most of Nashabiya’s residents were displaced to northern Syria or to various areas in Damascus and its countryside.

Nashabiya Mayor Khaled Mueijel told The Syria Report that around 15 per cent of the buildings in the centre of Nashabiya city have been destroyed. He explained that destruction was more extensive in the neighbouring villages, pointing to the village of Al-Bahariya, located about eight kilometres from Nashabiya’s centre, which has been almost completely destroyed. The village had been home to around 1,500 residents, most of whom currently live in Nashabiya.

Mr Mueijel added that the ongoing repair activity in Nashabiya remains limited compared to the sheer scale of the damage, stressing that reconstruction requires resources beyond the capabilities of residents. To date, there are no concrete steps to begin rebuilding the destroyed villages, as this requires substantial planning and resources. He also noted that municipal estimates indicate that around 10 per cent of the damaged houses in the city are at risk of collapse.

After the fall of the Assad regime at the end of 2024, approximately 1,500 families returned to the city of Nashabiya from northern Syria, despite the lack of any general reconstruction programmes or housing provision. This coincided with the gradual return of residents who had been displaced to various areas in Damascus and its countryside during the years of siege.

Samir, who had left Nashabiya for northern Syria, returned after the fall of the Assad regime with his wife and two children. He sold a piece of agricultural land in order to repair his late father’s house and live in it. He explained that he had only two options: either repair the house or rent another one, and that repair was the only viable choice. He added that the return of a large number of young men who had left the city alone and then returned with their families has intensified housing pressure in Nashabiya.

According to local estimates, Nashabiya’s current population stands at around 40,000 people. Some returnees are forced to live in damaged homes that are incompletely repaired or structurally unsafe. The financial burden of repairs falls entirely on returning families, pushing them to choose between repairing their homes or renting alternative accommodation.

Abu Mohammad, a man in his sixties from the city, said that he still uses blankets to cover the windows of his house, noting that part of the home is destroyed and needs rebuilding. Despite this, he lives there because he does not own another house and cannot afford the cost of repairs.

Umm Samer, another resident, explained that she was forced to sell a piece of agricultural land for around USD 15,000 in order to repair her home, even though it still requires additional work to return to its previous condition. She pointed out that high rental prices in Nashabiya, ranging between USD 150 and USD 200, made repair a less costly option than renting.

Meanwhile, Mr Mueijel, noted that there are only limited efforts by NGOs to help with reconstruction in the city. He said that Oxfam is currently working to repair around 127 houses, though this number represents only a small fraction of the total damaged homes. Oxfam is an international NGO that operates in Syria through local partners, focusing on emergency assistance, livelihoods support, and housing rehabilitation for vulnerable communities affected by conflict. Mr Mueijel said that Oxfam selected the most severely damaged houses based on recommendations from engineering committees that surveyed affected dwellings, while also taking residents’ living conditions into account.

The United Nations Development Programme is working on removing approximately 75,000 cubic metres of rubble and transporting it to a landfill in the Al-Hajar Al-Aswad area of Rural Damascus, the mayor explained. These interventions are not accompanied by comprehensive reconstruction or rebuilding programmes, which limits their impact and prevents them from addressing the housing crisis in the city in a fundamental way.

The head of the Rural Damascus branch of the Engineers’ Syndicate, Akram Taama, told The Syria Report that the syndicate has introduced a 50 percent reduction on engineering fees for repair permits on homes damaged by shelling, in an attempt to ease the financial burdens for residents. He explained that this step comes in light of the significant rise in repair costs, stressing that the syndicate is working to provide whatever help it can for owners of damaged homes, despite the limited impact of these measures in the face of the scale of destruction and the cost of rehabilitation.