Hussam Muhammad, Baladi News, Damascus
It didn’t take a long time for fires of unknown origin and purpose to leave the Damascene neighborhoods, to return again with greater destruction. Most of the fires targeted the old neighborhoods of the Omayyad capital, which is still maintaining its heritage. The question here who is behind such fires and what's their purpose?
A fire erupted Friday in a number of shops in al-Hal market in Damascus, resulting in the destruction of these shops leaving their owners without a source of income.
The cause of the fire remained ambiguous as the Syrian government as usual registers the fire against “ unknown” with no investigation or accountability.
On Saturday morning, Damascus woke up to witness a dense cloud of smoke resulting from a huge fire erupted in the Al-Assrounia market, which is located between the historic citadel and the famous Al-Hamidiyah Souk in the old walled city of Damascus, as the fire engulfed more than 85 shops to the ground.
Field activist “Abu Farouk Al-Dimashqi” confirmed that the fire that hit Al-Assrounia market was deliberate and not accidental, noting that electricity in Damascus is off most of the times. He also indicated that there is another factor which made use of the fire to afflict the greatest possible damages on Damascus tradesmen and their employees of limited income.
“It's strange that fires erupts in Damascus now and then target only areas with Sunni majority which Iran is planning to take over”, the source added, suggesting that Iran's henchmen are behind such fires aiming at displacing the remaining Damascenes in the old neighborhoods of the city within their scheme to change the area demographically under the approval and help of the Syrian government.
Al-Assrounia market is located amidst a lot of historical touristic attractions which oblige tourists to pass through its alleys as it's bounded on the south by Al-Hamidiyah Souq, on the north by the extension of Al-Kallasah street and Al-Manakhlia Souq, on the west Damascus citadel, on the east by the Omayyad Mosque and Bab Al-Barieed which extends from Al- Hamidiyah Souq to the intersection of Al-Zahiriyah library, and anyone who ever wants to visit those places has to pass through Al-Assrounia market.