Marota City

Marota City is a post-war urban redevelopment project under construction in Damascus, Syria¹. Based on the Arabic word ‘Syriac’ which translates to ‘sovereignty’², ‘it represents Syria’s largest investment project³ and a potential model of future government-led reconstruction projects in the country⁴. Its goal is to contribute to Damascus’ ‘re-emergence on the international stage​’ by creating a ‘landmark commercial center’ in the capital⁵.

The new luxury district spreads over a 2.14 square kilometers site in southwest Damascus, on the former Basatin al-Razi working-class neighborhood⁶. It is strategically located on the major transport routes to Lebanon, Jordan, and the airport, and is close to key governmental, medical, service, and educational centers of the capital⁷. Its masterplan includes luxury residential high-rises, shopping centers, gardens, sports facilities, administrative and commercial buildings⁸, designed to house around 60,000 residents when complete⁹. The project also includes two health centers, a fire station, 17 schools and kindergartens, five places of worship, and a floor car park^{10 i}.

The project incorporates smart city elements with modern infrastructure, such as underground tunnels, gas pipelines, and service control centers¹¹. Through this project, the government aims to create employment opportunities, with 110,000 jobs during construction and 27,000 permanent jobs completed​¹².

Initiated in 2012 under Decree No. 66 of 2012, which targets slum redevelopment in the capital, project implementation was initiated in mid-2017¹³. The joint-stock company Damascus Cham Holding Private JSC, established in 2016 and owned by the Damascus governorate, manages the development¹⁴. Law No. 10, passed in 2018, facilitated the project by organizing compensation for former informal owners who initially were given 30 days to prove ownership of their properties in the redevelopment zone¹⁵.

Under Decree 66, the project unfolded in three key phases:

• Documentation Phase [2012-2015]: This initial stage involves residents proving their property ownership through documentation. Given the prevalence of informal housing, this phase presented significant challenges, as many residents lack formal ownership records¹⁶.
• Property Appraisal & Shares Issuance [2012-2015]: In this phase, properties are appraised, and owners are allocated compensatory shares based on their property’s value. These shares can be used for securing new housing in Marota City or for other purposes¹⁷.
• Implementation & Private Sector Engagement [2016- ongoing]: This final phase includes the evacuation of the settlers, completed in 2017, and then the infrastructure development and actual construction¹⁸. Construction commenced in 2017, and is currently in progress.