Qaboun ( ar, ٱلْقَابُون, al-Qābūn, sometimes spelled Al-Kaboun or al-Qaboun) is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

and neighbourhood 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 ...

, located north-east of the city center, to the north of

Jobar Jobar ( ar, جَوْبَر, Jawbar) also spelled Jawbar, Jober or Joubar, is a municipality of the Syrian capital Damascus. A once historical village on the outskirts of Damascus, it is now a suburb of the capital city. It lies 2 km northeas ...

district.

History

Qaboun name is derived from "Abouna" in

Syriac language The Syriac language (; syc, / '), also known as Syriac Aramaic (''Syrian Aramaic'', ''Syro-Aramaic'') and Classical Syriac ܠܫܢܐ ܥܬܝܩܐ (in its literary and liturgical form), is an Aramaic language, Aramaic dialect that emerged during ...

which means "column" or "the place where the water gathers", in reference to

Barada , name_etymology = From ''barid'', meaning 'cold' in Semitic languages , image = Barada river in Damascus (April 2009).jpg , image_size = 300 , image_caption = Barada river in Damascus near the Four Seasons Hote ...

river. In the 2004 census, it had a population of 89,974.Damascus governorate population 2004 census
/ref> In 2017, after the

Qaboun offensive (2017) The Qaboun offensive (2017) was a military operation of the Syrian Arab Army in the suburbs of Damascus against rebel forces during the Syrian Civil War. Its intended goal was to capture the Damascus suburbs of Qaboun and Barzeh from rebelsHiba ...

, population estimates varied between 300 and 2,500 as a result of mass migration. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, it was primarily controlled by the rebels, but between 2014 and 2017 was under truce with the government. The situation has been described as a "siege". On 17 April 2015, the rebels ( Jaysh al-Islam and the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA) ( ar, الجيش السوري الحر, al-jaysh as-Sūrī al-ḥur) is a loose faction in the Syrian Civil War founded on 29 July 2011 by officers of the Syrian Armed Forces with the goal of bringing down the governm ...

's First Brigade) launched a military campaign to expel the

Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

from the Barzeh, Qaboun, and Tishrin neighborhoods, which ended in success 3 days later. In May 2017, rebels were evacuated as the army regained control. It is estimated that around 2,300 people left at this time. In March 2022, authorities announced their plans to demolish the neighbourhood.

History

See also

References

Further reading