Surge in Sales of Druze Properties in Rural Damascus Driven by Tensions

Since April, there has been a surge in property sales in Druze-majority areas of Rural Damascus. These came after escalating incitement against the community and subsequent armed attacks led by forces of the Ministries of Defence and Interior and tribal groups in April and May, which also affected parts of Suweida governorate.

After the bloodshed in Suweida in July, the number of properties offered for sale by Druze in Rural Damascus increased further. Notably, while the property market in those areas has maintained its usual prices, Druze-owned properties alone are experiencing a drop in value. This indicates that the property market is not simply a reflection of purely economic activity but may also serve as a mirror of strained relations between social groups and the authorities.

Most of the property sales discussed in this article take place informally, through sales contracts certified by a public notary but not registered in property records or courts. Official registration of licensed property sales in zoned areas remains complicated, as numerous circulars and administrative decisions issued by the Ministries of Justice, Local Administration, and Finance since the fall of the Assad regime have slowed and sometimes halted the registration process.

Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya

Real estate office owners and property owners in Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, two neighbouring towns in Rural Damascus, said that prices of Druze-owned properties in Rural Damascus have dropped by 20 to 30 percent compared to prevailing market prices in the same areas. This decline is not due to the overall economic situation or fluctuations in the Syrian pound’s exchange rate, but is directly tied to the harassment faced by members of the Druze community and the fears driving them to sell their properties and move to more secure areas. Families, in particular, prefer relocating to predominantly Druze towns such as Arneh and Hadar in Jabal Al-Sheikh or to Suweida, while others have been displaced to Lebanon.

One broker in Sahnaya said that the drop in property prices for homes being sold by Druze is primarily due to oversupply, as many owners wish to sell, whether because of financial need or plans to relocate to safer areas. “In our neighbourhoods, we no longer have freedom of movement. The checkpoint at the entrance to the street, with its masked gunmen, is enough to cause fear,” one resident who declined to be named said. He added that he had sold his home and was waiting for the road to open so he could move to Suweida, noting that some of his neighbours had left the country while others had moved to Jabal Al-Sheikh.

Residents of Sahnaya and Ashrafiyat Sahnaya report that daily life has become tense, with frequent gunfire heard between neighbourhoods by the armed forces of the General Security Directorate, without justification, further fuelling anxiety. Druze community leaders and civil society activists in the area face ongoing political repression, with bans on any initiatives of solidarity with besieged Suweida and pressure to issue statements disavowing the positions of Suweida’s Druze leadership.

A Druze resident who sold his home in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya said that property prices drop regardless of condition once buyers learn that the seller is Druze. In many cases, buyers withdraw without giving any reason. “Some buyers believe they can practically get these homes for free, so why should they pay for them?” he added.

Another person explained that his family’s house, covering 120 square metres (three bedrooms and a living room), in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, had recently been offered for sale at SYP 40 million (around USD 3,500), already lower than market value. He planned to leave out of fear for the security and political situation. However, after several failed attempts to sell, the highest offer he received was  just SYP 25 million (around USD 2,200). “Because we are Druze, they tried to devalue the property,” he added.

In contrast, a broker explained that property prices in predominantly non-Druze neighbourhoods in Sahnaya have seen no significant decline, apart from a slight drop tied to the Syrian pound’s appreciation against the dollar. He noted that prices are now almost entirely set in dollars, limiting the effect of recent fluctuations. He said that a ready-to-live-in, two-bedroom flat in Sahnaya is currently selling for around USD 35,000, a price close to market levels in the area.

Jaramana

According to a broker in Jaramana, another suburb of district with a large Druze population, property prices have dropped by an average of 30 percent, with some cases reaching 50 percent, depending on location and property type. The broker described the situation as a “complex problem,” explaining that Jaramana was, for years, considered a relatively safe destination, which had led to a “property boom” and a sharp rise in prices. However, recent developments changed the equation, with demand gradually falling before events in Suweida accelerated the decline.

The broker noted that most of those seeking to sell today are Druze who have decided to travel or relocate, while property owners from other communities tend to hold onto their assets. 

Naseem, originally from Suweida and living in Jaramana with his family for the past nearly 30 years, recently sold his home in the old municipal district for  USD 8,500 (about SYP 90 million). Another Druze resident, Adnan, also decided to sell. “The recent events sped up my decision to sell, as the sectarian nature of the area created a sense of threat. So I decided to sell, even at a low price, so my family and I could leave the area,” he said.

A real estate broker in Jaramana said that the lower property prices in the town are attracting a new class of buyers, which he called the “bureaucratic bourgeoisie emerging with the transitional government,” referring to government employees seeking housing near their workplaces in Damascus at prices matching their financial means. He added that the market in Jaramana benefited real estate traders who “buy houses at the lowest possible prices, taking advantage of people’s need to sell,” and resell them at market prices to the new class of buyers.

In the Naseem neighbourhood of Jaramana, Jumana, a Druze woman, recently sold an unfinished ground-floor flat measuring 60 square metres for SYP 120 million (around USD 10,500), while its actual market value stood at SYP 250 million (USD 22,000).

The owner of a real estate office in Jaramana explained that most people who have sold properties through his office in recent months have done so primarily because they were planning to leave the country, which has led to many deals being concluded at prices far below actual property values.

Conclusion

The experiences of Sahnaya and Jaramana show that properties are no longer merely economic assets but have become indicators of the fragility of the security and social situation. While prices of Druze-owned homes alone have dropped, the market in other neighbourhoods has remained relatively stable, revealing a profound imbalance that transcends the laws of supply and demand. In this reality, safety considerations intertwine with the need for liquidity, making the decision to sell more of a forced act than an economic choice, reflecting the immense pressure faced by the Druze community around the Syrian capital.