Al-Qassaa ( ar, القصاع; also spelled ''Qasa'' or ''Qasa'ah'') is a neighborhood and district of the

Sarouja Sarouja ( ar, سَارُوجَة, 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. Etymology The name comes from the word tr ...

municipality in

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

. Qassaa is situated in the northeastern part of the city and borders the Old City neighborhood of

Bab Tuma Bab Tuma ( ar, بَابُ تُومَا, Bāb Tūmā, meaning: "Gate of Thomas") is an area of the Old City of Damascus in Syria, and is also the name of one of the seven gates inside the historical walls of the city, which is a geographic landmar ...

. It had a population of 11,467 in the 2004 census. Al-Qassaa's inhabitants are predominantly upper class

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Etymology

Al-Qassaa was famous for the manufacture of clay

porringer A porringer is a shallow bowl, between 4 and 6 inches (100 to 150mm) in diameter, and 1½" to 3" (40 to 80mm) deep; the form originated in the medieval period in Europe and was made in wood, ceramic, pewter, cast iron and silver. They had flat, h ...

; from which it gained its name.

History

Al-Qassaa was founded in the early 20th century, during the last years of Ottoman rule. The people who established the neighborhood were Christians from the Old City neighborhood of

who moved to al-Qassaa due to the increasingly difficult living conditions in Bab Tuma's ancient buildings and narrow alleys. The people of Bab Tuma felt secure enough to move into the unwalled suburbs of the Old City due to the increased protection established by the Ottomans in the aftermath of the 1860 massacre of Christians in Damascus. Al-Qassaa was further developed during the French Mandatory period, being designed along the lines devised by French architect

Michel Ecochard Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), S ...

. In the 1936 French Mandate census, al-Qassaa had a population 1,872, all Christians.

References

{{Municipalities of Damascus, sarouja Christian communities in Syria Neighborhoods of Damascus