Protests Over Expropriation
Residents of the Dummar area in Damascus demonstrated on 9 October 2026 against decrees that placed their land and property under state control. Protesters said their holdings had been taken without a settlement of ownership rights or fair compensation.
Demonstrators blocked the road leading to central Damascus as well as the route between Qasioun and Dummar, demanding either the return of their property or compensation reflecting current market values.
Spreading Across Neighborhoods
Similar actions were reported in Qudsaya, Mu'adhamiyat al-Sham, Mezzeh, and Kafr Sousa. In Qudsaya, protests continued for a second consecutive day outside the offices of the Saudi developer Thra, which is responsible for one of the projects.
A day earlier, protesters entered the offices of two developers and halted machinery at excavation sites, though one demonstrator said work resumed overnight.
Projects at the Center
Two developments, known as "Sham View" and "Abyat Hills," were named as the focus of the grievances. Protesters say the projects threaten the rights of the original owners, whose land falls within the areas marked for construction.
The dispute centers on how property placed under expropriation will be valued, compensated, or returned to those who held it before the decrees. Residents across several districts tied their complaints to the same expropriation measures.
Security and Official Response
Internal security forces were deployed to secure the gatherings as crowds formed at project sites and along the blocked routes. The demonstrations unfolded without reports of any change to the decrees themselves, and residents said they intended to keep pressing their claims.
Hussam al-Jajeh, a public relations officer for the rural Damascus security directorate, said the governorate would open an office staffed by lawyers to receive claims and ownership documents and to help resolve the disputes. The arrangement is meant to channel competing property claims through a formal review rather than street action.