Expansion at Bab al-Hawa
The Bab al-Hawa Industrial City in northern Idlib Governorate began work on 19 May 2026 to widen its investment footprint by clearing a rocky outcrop along the site's northwestern boundary. The cleared zone covers around 55,000 square meters of stone shelf.
City director Fadi al-Khatib said the project responds to rising demand for plots dedicated to food manufacturing, and is part of a broader plan to attract industrialists and traders to the zone.
From Rock to Industrial Plots
Hamza Sharabi, an engineer in the industrial city's technical office, said levelling the outcrop will yield roughly 40,000 square meters of new usable land net of internal roads, out of the 55,000-square-meter footprint.
The rock mass reaches an average of 15 meters above neighboring plots, with a total volume of about 825,000 cubic meters before removal. Crushed material from the excavation is being earmarked for use in construction products.
Food Manufacturing Demand
The cleared land is being prepared specifically for the food-industry sector, where requests for plots have risen sharply in recent months. The administration said the goal is to support local industry, provide integrated infrastructure, and offer plot prices it described as competitive for new investors.
Northern Industrial Anchor
The Bab al-Hawa Industrial City is described by its management as a main economic artery for Idlib and the wider northern region, generating jobs for the local workforce. It is one of the most prominent industrial centers in northern Idlib and has drawn growing interest from light-industry and food-sector investors.
The current excavation phase is part of a wider development plan to upgrade services and ready adjacent land for additional subscription rounds. The administration said the first new food-sector plots are expected to come up for investment in the near term, once the rocky outcrop is fully levelled and the parcels are demarcated.
Officials framed the work as a step toward absorbing the rising volume of plot applications inside the zone, by converting unused terrain into ready-to-invest industrial land for the food sector.