Unbowed in Face of US-Sponsored Terror, Syria Kicks Off Campaign to Revitalize Ancient Damascus

Syria is home to some of the world’s oldest continuously-inhabited population centers, with its cities and towns suffering extensive damage over the course of the dirty war waged by the CIA and the US’s regional allies against the government of President Bashar Assad.

Syrian authorities have kicked off a campaign to revitalize the historic city center of Damascus, the ancient population center whose modern history dates back to the third millennium BC (and which has shown signs of human habitation as far back as 10,000 BC).

The campaign, dubbed “Restoring the Shine of the Old City,” is reportedly aimed at restoring and repairing the Old City’s world-famous markets, painting and restoring the walls and facades of the Midhat Pasha Souq marketplace, nearby streets and alleys, planting jasmine trees in neighborhoods, repairing floors, and installing new solar lighting systems.

 In addition to revitalizing the city for future generations of Syrians, the campaign is aimed at encouraging tourists to visit the country. A resumption of tourist flows would provide a crucial revenue stream for a nation which remains under crushing American and European sanctions, and depends on the economic support of its Russian and Iranian allies for food and energy while the US continues its illegal occupation of the northeastern third of the country and its oil and food-rich areas.