Ghuta

Ghouta (Arabic: غُوطَةُ دِمَشْقَ / ALA-LC: Ḡūṭat Dimašq) is a countryside area in southwestern Syria that surrounds the city of Damascus along its eastern and southern rim.

[4] He also notes that its fame in this regard persists, despite the significant loss of its planted areas to the development of suburban sprawl, extensive highways, and the effects of the Syrian Civil War.

[4] It was historically characterized by farming villages, vast gardens, orchards, and vineyards, which stretched up to 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) from the limits of the Old City of Damascus.

[a] Since ancient times, canals dug by Damascenes provided irrigation of land on either side of the Barada, increasing the size of the Ghouta to the south and east of the city.

[8] Separating the city from the dry grasslands bordering the Syrian Desert, the Ghouta has historically provided its inhabitants with a variety of cereals, vegetables, and fruits.

[10] In the early 20th century, an estimated three-quarters of the Ghouta's lands were owned by small and medium-sized planters, known as zurra, a rare occurrence among the agricultural regions of the Levant at that time.

In February 2013, Syrian rebels captured parts of the ring road on the edge of Damascus and entered the Jobar district of the capital city.

The second largest was Faylaq al-Rahman, an official affiliate of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), controlling much of central and western parts of Ghouta, including the Jobar and Ain Terma districts.