The old buildings of Damascus International Fair were raised to the ground after the opening of the new Fair Grounds off the Airport Highway. Fortunately, earlier rumors that the old Fair grounds will be invested by the influential businessman R. M. turned out to be false. It seems that the Governorate of Damascus has finally decided to turn the area into a public park, with cafes, restaurants, shops and other tourist facilities. The area will also regain its old historical name: Al-Marj Al-Akhdar (Green Meadows).
Al-Marj Al-Akhdar was a huge green space located outside walled Damascus. It was where the King of Germany camped with a huge Crusader army and besieged Damascus for four days before a failed attempt to capture the city in 1148. It was where Sultan Baybers built Al-Ablaq Palace in 1260. Damascenes used to go there for picnics; and for a period of time, they used to send their ill and dying animanls to spend their last days in a beautiful green environment. In the mid-1950s, the area became the Damascus International Fair Grounds. The Fair was annualy held there till 2003.
Now how long will it take to bring Al-Marj Al-Akhdar back to life again? The nearby 3-year-old mess in Omayyad Square makes everybody pessimistic!
14 comments:
Ayman, aala serat the Ommayad square, has work on it finished?
Fantastic work, Ayman.
Elegant, resourceful, funny, with deep feelings.
My English can't describe your photo-blog any better.
I hope u keep up this blog as long as ur time allows.
Your college friend.. Ex-Medicine student.. M.H.
It's a pitty how fast green areas disappaear in Damascus..I can't see a lot of green there..it's just a couple of poor surviving trees!
i asume it will take about 5 to 10 years, and they will try to build a hotel in it, and then they will invest most of the erea building "tourists shops" and restaurants, and the regular citizen will find it hard to enter the "garden".
or they will make it a public garden, there will be a lot of dirt everywhere, and a shelter for street gangs.
Nice work Ayman bek :)
I think they are going to make the park as fast as possible .. cause the syria monster is going to have all the resturants and facilities in that park..
I really hope that this park is going to gain its historical taste
but ...
thanks Ayman
well done
Great work Aymen, I can't withstand not looking at your blogg, even when I am working in my company, where this is very restricted, your update become very important to me because it shows me places I love to see in Damascus.
Regarding Amr, Amr what you want, it's very good for this place to be a public garden rather than others, if it could be dirty now it will be very clean in the future
But if it’s gone will be gone forever.
Great work as usual Ayman. Is this photo taken from the side of Jisr Ar-Rais?
Thanks for the info Ayman, I never knew that such a desolate and dead place could have so much history. I'm glad it will be re-awakened.
Amr, Omayyad Square is open to traffic now, as well as the tunnel that now connects Shukri Al-Quwatli and Al-Mazzeh Streets. However, construction works are still going on in the middle of the square (according to plans, there will be beautiful gardens and fountains in the middle) and on pavements around the square.
Shaka and Majd, thank you very much! it's nice to see you here. Hope you visit often :)
Sasa, yes the picture was taken from Jisr Al-Rais.
I agree with Salam that the area should become a park, no matter how long this will take. Because if concrete was allowed to invade it, it will be forever.
Amr my friend exactly what street gangs are you talking about?
3esabat al kaf al abyad..
i'm kidding, El Baramkeh is full of Z3oorieh and they will find it a shelter for many things to do.
Ayman - I bookmarked your site long before Josh Landis made you famous - but mabrouk on the Syrian Bloggers association, and thank you so much for your site and your efforts. I always check for the latest photos. Glad to see you are building community among Syrian bloggers, as well.
God be with all of you!
ya sheikh, ze3ran exist everywhere...
wallah you're right, but sometimes you begin to hate everything here without a reason!
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