Shropshire Star

Luxury city project in Damascus points to Syrian rebuilding blueprint

The Marota City has been criticised as an attempt by Bashar Assad to expropriate property and consolidate post-war power.

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Marota City

Construction is well under way at a massive rebuilding project involving residential high-rises and shopping centres in south-western Damascus.

Up until recently, the area was a working-class region of informal settlements and irregular housing running through orchards and farmland.

Early in Syria’s conflict, it was a hub for protests against the government.

Syrian rebuilding work
Building work at Marota City (AP)

Over the past year, thousands of residents have been evicted and their property razed to make way for the multimillion-dollar project – the Marota City.

It is Syria’s largest investment project and is seen as a blueprint for how the government will undertake rebuilding efforts in areas devastated by the civil war.

Critics say President Bashar Assad is using such projects to consolidate post-war power, expropriate property and reshape Syria’s demographics.

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