Properties Around Damascus in the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

HE CITY of Damascus is surrounded by a perennially irrigated region known as the Giuta, watered by the Barada river and its branches. Historically the Guita has been well known for the abundance and variety of its fruits and vegetables, contributing to Damascus's reputation as a verdant paradise. The Guita's boundaries are well defined to the north, west and south by hills and mountains, but no natural barrier separates it from the Syrian desert to the east. Between the GuiCta and the desert is a transitional region called the Mar' ( ), irrigated by the Barada only part of the year, and known principally for its grain. Over the centuries the Guita and Mar' have been integral parts of Damascus's economy. Although the city's periods of greatest prosperity have been linked to its role in international and regional trade, the existence of the Giuta explains Damascus's historical continuity. This irrigated hinterland has been a guarantor of Damascus's survival even when trade became depressed or trade routes shifted away from it. The Gluta provided Damascus with a variety of foodstuffs, as well as raw materials for the city's artisanal production, for which Gu-ta villagers were a major market. At the very least, the raw and processed products of the G(uta ensured that Damascus would be an important market for its own central Syrian hinterland, and that Damascus would have a regional trade even when major international trade routes bypassed it. Therefore, the Gu-ta and adjoining regions (including the Mar', the Barada river valley and some smaller river valleys) have been significant in the economic history of Damascus. The rural