Harasta

حرستا / Ḥarastā Harasta
Harasta
Coordinates	33 ° 34 ′  N , 36 ° 22 ′  E Coordinates: 33 ° 34 ′  N , 36 ° 22 ′  E
Basic data
Country	Syria
Governorate	Rif Dimashq
height	700 m
Residents	30,000

Harasta ( Arabic حرستا Ḥarastā ) is a city with around 30,000 inhabitants and is located 5 kilometers northeast of the Syrian capital Damascus in Eastern Ghuta .

Civil war since 2011

The city had been fought over between the Syrian army and Islamist militias since 2012 and has repeatedly been the target of air strikes and artillery fire. At the end of March 2018, the fighters of the radical Salafist militia Ahrar al-Scham withdrew from the city after the Syrian government had assured them safe passage to areas in northwestern Syria that they still controlled. On March 23, the Syrian army finally regained full control of the city.

In Harasta, many members of the middle class built their own homes and commuted to Damascus to work . There were two churches in Harasta, and of the 30,000 or so inhabitants, around 2,500 were Christians . One of the churches was the Greek Orthodox St. Elias Church and the other was the Greek Catholic Church of the Virgin. In 2012, the town's secret service building was blown up, killing many people. After the rebel occupation, both churches were blown up and the Christian residents fled, so all Christian life disappeared. After the reconquest by the Syrian army at the end of March 2018, many refugees visited their hometown, but found houses and churches completely destroyed. According to the priest of the destroyed St. Elias Church, Gabriel Kahila, most of these Christians want to leave Syria and no one wants to return to Harasta.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Wochenblatt 03/22/2018 Harasta (AFP) Syrian rebel group withdraws from the city in Eastern Ghouta
2. ↑ aljazeera Evacuation deal for fighters in Eastern Ghouta town reached Syrian state TV and Ahrar al-Sham rebel group say 7,500 people will evacuate Ghouta town of Harasta on Thursday.
3. ↑ Latest map update of East Ghouta after Harasta declared under Syrian Army control
4. ↑ Karin Leukefeld : Christian life has disappeared in Eastern Ghouta - destroyed and plundered churches. Domradio , May 29, 2018.