Al-Shaghour is a municipality and a neighborhood located in the old walled city ofDamascus, Syria, south and east of the Old City, and east of al-Midan. Al-Shaghour is one of the oldest recorded neighborhoods in the city. The traditional neighborhood is divided into the part located within the Old City walls, known as Shaghour al-Juwani, and the much larger part located outside the walls. The latter part has become a municipality known as "al-Shaghour" and includes the districts of Shaghour al-Barrani, Bab Sharqi, al-Zuhur, al-Wihdah, al-Bilal, al-Nidal, Ibn al-Asakir and Rawdat al-Midan. Old al-Shaghour is separated from al-Midan to the west by Al-Beit Street and from Harat al-Yahud by Al-Ameen Street. The latter, named after a prominent Shiite figure, is the main road in the neighborhood and accommodates the market place and the main shops. Al-Shaghour is also home to many of the prominent Shia Muslim families of Damascus.
History
During the French mandate, part of the neighborhood, known as "Shaghour al-Juwani" was located within the Old City walls, while most of the neighborhood was located outside the city walls and is known as "Shaghour al-Barrani". The total population of al-Shaghour was 18,715 in 1936, with 34% living in Shaghour al-Juwani and 66% living al-Shaghour al-Barrani. The entire population was Muslim. Al-Shaghour was a major center of resistance to French rule. Many of its inhabitants were involved in political activism and in the development of Syria's national political thought is the 1930s. Al-Shaghour was the home to several prominent intellectuals and political figures including the famous poet Nizar Qabbani, the minister of defense of the Kingdom of Syria, Yusuf al-Azma, and Hasan al-Kharrat, the most prominent rebel leader in Damascus during the 1925 Great Syrian Revolt. By the 21st century, Shaghour al-Barrani evolved to become the larger al-Shaghour Municipality, which in 2004 consisted of the city districts of Shaghour al-Barrani, al-Bilal, al-Zuhur, Bab Sharqi, al-Wihdah, Rawdat al-Midan, al-Nidal and Ibn al-Asakir. Shaghour al-Juwani is located in the Old City municipality and had a population of 2,506 in 2004.
