Douma () is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. Its centre is about northeast of the centre of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. Being the capital of

Rif Dimashq Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate (, Literal translation, lit. "Damascus Countryside Governorate" or "Damascus Suburb") is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in the southwestern part of the country. ...

, the city is also the administrative centre of

Douma District Douma District () is a Districts of Syria, district of the Rif Dimashq Governorate in southern Syria. The second largest Districts of Syria, district of Syria following Tadmur District, Tadmur, it stretches from the northeastern outskirts of Metr ...

. Douma is a major city of the region known as Ghouta, for the peri-urban settlements to the east and south of Damascus.

History

City in the Syrian Civil War (2012–2018)

During the Syrian Civil War, Douma was a major flashpoint and witnessed numerous demonstrations against the Syrian government and armed clashes against the Syrian Army and security forces during the early stages of the conflict. On 30 January 2012, the

Syrian Army The Syrian Army is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. Up until the fall of the Assad regime, the Syrian Arab Army existed as a land force branch of the Syrian Arab Armed Forces, which dominanted the military service of the fo ...

gained control of the city after the Battle of Douma, a major operation against the opposition armed groups in

Duma after the recapture by the Syrian Arab Army 09

Duma after the recapture by the Syrian Arab Army 31

On 29 June 2012, the Syrian Army was accused of committing a massacre in Douma, where more than 50 people were killed. As of 18 October 2012, the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

was in control of most of the suburb. Fighting and bombardments continued in the town. Douma was the main city of the Siege of Eastern Ghouta which began in April 2013, isolating 400,000 people in a 100 square kilometre area. UN and Red Cross aid convoys were able to reach Douma with food and supplies once in 2018. In the 2015 Douma market massacre, the city was attacked by Syrian Army ground-to-ground missiles, leaving at least 50 dead and several more missing. In early 2018, the main rebel faction based in the city was

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

n-backed

Jaysh al-Islam Jaysh al-Islam (, meaning ''Army of Islam''), formerly known as Liwa al-Islam (, Brigade of Islam), is a coalition of Islamist rebel units involved in the Syrian Civil War. The group was part of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Counc ...

(Army of Islam), with an estimated 10-15,000 fighters in the region. On 7 April 2018, a chemical attack was carried out in the city. Douma had been the target of bombing campaigns over four months in 2018, as

Syrian Air Force The Syrian Air Force () is the air force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It was established in 1948, and first saw action in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Under Ba'athist Syria until December 8, 2024, it was known as the Syrian Arab Air Forc ...

forces intensified their aerial bombardment before launching a ground offensive. The last and deadliest, according to medics and rescue workers, occurred when a yellow industrial gas cylinder was reportedly dropped onto the balcony of a block of flats. The opposition's surrender came a day later. After that, Syrian Army recaptured the city. In September 2018, the UN Commission of Enquiry on Syria reported: "Throughout 7 April, numerous aerial attacks were carried out in Douma, striking various residential areas. A vast body of evidence collected by the Commission suggests that, at approximately 7.30 p.m., a gas cylinder containing a chlorine payload delivered by helicopter struck a multi-storey residential apartment building located approximately 100 metres southwest of Shohada square. The Commission received information on the death of at least 49 individuals and the wounding of up to 650 others... the Commission cannot make yet any conclusions concerning the exact causes of death, in particular on whether another agent was used in addition to chlorine that may have caused or contributed to deaths and injuries"
Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, Section 92 Local rebels and civilians were sent into northern Syria in forced exile. Similar forced displacement deals have taken place all over Syria.

Rehabilitation of the city (2018–present)

During the 2021 Syrian presidential election, the current Syrian President

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

and First Lady Asma al-Assad cast their votes in the city of Douma. Between 2018 and 2023, around 108,000 people also returned to the city and its surroundings. In 2022, the emergency hospital was inaugurated. Also in 2022, Syrian Telecom Center was reopened after its restoration, with cost of SYP 2.5 billion. By 2024, a number of reconstruction works was launched. Street lightning, a temporary provincial health center, 23 out of 33 schools of all types, and an automated bakery have been restored. Also, the tunnels left by militant organizations under many government institutions and buildings were filled, and constructions rehabilitated. In addition, by the end of 2024, a new provincial hospital in the city will be opened.

Geography

Douma is the largest city located in the settlement slush in the Ghouta oasis that surrounds Damascus from the south and east. Around the city of Douma is the strategic M5 Highway connecting Damascus with the north of the country and across the

Syrian Desert The Syrian Desert ( ''Bādiyat Ash-Shām''), also known as the North Arabian Desert, the Jordanian steppe, or the Badiya, is a region of desert, semi-desert, and steppe, covering about of West Asia, including parts of northern Saudi Arabia, ea ...

and also with

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

i capital

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Climate

Douma has a

cold semi-arid climate Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute thermodynamic ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''BSk'').

References