Wadi Barada () is a river valley in southwestern Syria. The valley is home to 17 villages and towns.
Etymology The word wadi () means valley in Arabic. "Barada" is thought to be derived from the word barid (), which means "cold" in Semitic languages. The ancient Greek name (Greek: , translit. Chrysorrhoas), means "streaming with gold". The river has also suffered from severe drought in the last decades, mainly due to the lower rainfall rates and the large increase in the population in the area.
Geography Wadi Barada is located in the north-western part of the Syrian capital of Damascus, in the Qalamoun district. It is known for being a mountainous area and in direct contact with the eastern mountain range of Lebanon. The Barada River is located in the western suburb of Damascus, it is 84 km long, stems from Zabadani, and drains in Al Otaiba Lake. The region also has a main water source. The water of Ein Fajja in the Barada valley is a major source of the capital, providing drinking water to more than six million people in Damascus and its countryside.
Villages and towns of Wadi Barada The following villages and towns make up Wadi Barada. The population numbers are according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) for 2004.
English name Arabic Name Population Subdistrict Souq Wadi Barada سوق وادي بردى 3,678 al-Zabadani Kafr al-Awamid كفر العواميد 1,588 al-Zabadani Barheliya برهليا 821 al-Zabadani Hurayra هريرة 2,455 Madaya al-Husseiniyah الحسينية 1,563 Ain al-Fijah Deir Qanun دير قانون 4,213 Ain al-Fijah Kfeir al-Zayt كفير الزيت 4,170 Ain al-Fijah Deir Muqaran دير مقرن 4,803 Ain al-Fijah Efra افرة 1,029 Ain al-Fijah Ain al-Fijah عين الفيجة 3,806 Ain al-Fijah Basimah بسيمة 2,812 Qudsaya Ashrafiyat al-Wadi أشرفية الوادي 2,101 Qudsaya Jdeidat al-Wadi جديدة الوادي 5,227 Qudsaya Jamraya جمرايا 1,156 Qudsaya al-Hamah الهامة 10,045 Qudsaya Qudsaya قدسيا 33,571 Qudsaya Dummar دمر 96,962 Damascus
Syrian civil war
Syrian rebels captured the village of Ain al-Fijah in February 2012. Engineers and technicians who worked at the water spring remained in place. After the rebel capture of Wadi Barada, government forces imposed a blockade on the villages. The army retook control of the town on 28 January 2017 and the next day the Army took full control of Wadi Barada.
See also Barada
References