Ġūṭat Dimašq

Widely known as al-Ġūṭā, the Damascus Oasis, right until the middle of the twentieth century, had occupied an area of at least 8,000 hectares extending more than 25 kilometers in its greatest length parallel to the mountain ridge that still dominates its vestiges.

Ġūṭat Dimašq had from time immemorial been the richest agricultural land in Syria, if not in western Asia, according to the opinion of the French geographer Richard Thoumin. Several factors have combined over the last 70 years or so to destroy this earthly paradise; most importantly, an exponential population growth with a near-total absence of sound planning.

The damage to our biosphere is a worldwide phenomenon, caused by demographic growth along with a rise in individual and collective consumption. The average Syrian at the turn of the 21st century consumes much more than his ancestors had done a hundred years prior. Naturally, consumption level in the Third World, Syria included, is nowhere near that of Europe and North America, but the latter are far better endowed with natural and industrial resources. Europe, moreover, has succeeded in controlling population growth, and so have China and Japan.

The attached map is a sketch of Damascus' water resources, the most important of which is Baradā. This Abana of the Old Testament, or Chrysorrhoas, according to the Greeks, issues from the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, passes the Zabadānī plain, receives a bountiful boost from the waters of al-Fīǧā heading east, and enters Damascus at ar-Rabwā gorge.

Two more "rivers" contribute to a lesser extent in the irrigation of Damascus' gardens: Mnīn from the north waters the east Ġūṭā, and al-ʾAʿwaǧ in the south. The latter springs from the foot of Mount Hermon (the highest peak of the Anti-Lebanon), heads east, and sends a branch to the town of Dārayyā, southwest of Damascus. Dārayyā also gets part of its water from the Dārānī Canal, a branch of Baradā.

Jacques Weulersse. Paysans de Syrie et du Proche-Orient. Gallimard 1946.