Kafar Souseh | |
Native Name: | كَفْر سُوسَة |
Native Name Lang: | ar |
Settlement Type: | Municipality |
Pushpin Map: | Syria Damascus#Syria |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Damascus |
Coordinates: | 33.4983°N 36.2772°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Type1: | Governorate |
Subdivision Name1: | Damascus Governorate |
Subdivision Type2: | City |
Subdivision Name2: | Damascus |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | EET |
Utc Offset: | +2 |
Timezone Dst: | EEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +3 |
Blank Name: | Climate |
Blank Info: | BSk |
Kafar Souseh (Arabic: كَفْر سُوسَة|Kafr Sūsah) is a municipality and neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, located in the southwestern part of the capital.[1] [2] It is home to the Syrian Council of Ministers and the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2]
The neighborhood was historically an agricultural suburb of Old Damascus. The word "Kafar" (Classical Syriac: ܟܦܪ) means 'farm', and "Souseh" is derived from (Classical Syriac: ܣܘܣܝܐ|Sūsyā) which means 'horse', hence, the name collectively means 'Horse farm'.
Today it is one of the most affluent and modern neighborhoods in the city. It includes various styles of villas, apartment buildings, and condominiums. The neighborhood still has some farms and an old farmers market, as well as two shopping malls and several government/official buildings including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is also in proximity to the original neighborhoods of Old Damascus.
Senior Hezbollah figure Imad Mughniyah was assassinated in the neighborhood in 2008.[3]
The neighborhood participated in the 2011 protests of the Syrian uprising. In 2011, two co-ordinated bombings killed 44 and injured 166 residents.[4]
A park in honor of North Korean leader Kim Il Sung opened in 2015.[5]
In February 2023, an Israeli missile strike hit a basement in the Kafr Sousaa neighborhood, killing several people.[6]