Damascus Governorate Approves Measures to Compensate the Victims of Decree "66"

The Damascus Governorate has issued a package of decisions to compensate the victims of Decree "66" in the areas of "Marota City" and "Basilia City" in direct response to the long years of delay and damage caused to the original owners during the era of the former regime.

In an official statement published by the governorate on Tuesday evening , May 5, 2026, the governorate approved an increase of 13.9% of the floor area allocated to the original owners, considering that this increase comes as a direct compensation for the chronic delay in the implementation of the project.

The governorate  raised the rental allowances to 35 times, so that the annual amount jumped from one billion six hundred and seven million old Syrian pounds to fifty-six billion two hundred and seventy-four million as of the beginning of 2026. The governorate confirmed that the payment of the allowance will be made immediately after six months, with the payment of old arrears and the payment of the allowance to those who were previously deprived of it for administrative or financial reasons.

Redistributing alternative housing and changing the map of the parcels

The decisions included the transfer of uncontracted alternative housing subdivisions to  the Basilia area within the Mezzeh property, south of the southern Methalaq, after they were distributed in Al-Qadam and the Aisha River. The governorate also allocated funding for the construction of 54 residential towers within three years, to be delivered to the beneficiaries according to installments extending for ten years.

The governorate has restored the right of alternative housing to more than a thousand families who were deprived of it for security reasons or systematic exclusion, while giving those wishing to implement their own plans the possibility to do so and provide them with plans free of charge.

Auction cancellation and significant cost reduction

The province canceled the public auction of Section 192 in Marota City and opened a real estate newspaper with the names of the owners who had previously been denied allocation due to security crackdowns. It also reduced the cost of implementing alternative housing to just 5 percent instead of 11.5 percent, in a move that was described as "a correction of a long course of unjustified burdens."

The governorate confirmed that it will complete the implementation of infrastructures such as roads, parks, service tunnels, transmission and treatment stations, and a control center for the smart city, at a cost exceeding $250 million.

The governorate announced that it will allocate all the necessary dividers and resources to complete the regulatory zone for the benefit of the governorate only, while monetizing the allotted allotments to finance infrastructure, rental allowances and the implementation of alternative housing.

Grievance File: Thousands of Applications and Restoration of Rights

The governorate announced the formation of a committee to complete the administrative, technical, legal and financial procedures related to the implementation of the new decisions, stressing that the door for objection and grievance is open to everyone under the roof of the judiciary, and that it is committed to the implementation of any judicial ruling issued by the competent courts.

 The governorate reviewed the steps it has taken since the fall of the previous regime, noting that it has received 1606 grievance requests from families who were deprived of alternative housing, and 1122 of them have been processed so far. It has also formed joint committees with the residents to study the grievances, and an expert committee to verify the rights.

Redefining ownership in Marota and Basilia

The governorate clarified that Decree 66 is a decree of organization and not an expropriation, and that the properties remain for their owners in exchange for regulatory shares and the right to alternative housing.

It stated that the share of owners in Marotta was on average 98% of the area of their properties before the regulation, and that green spaces make up 32%, while streets and public facilities make up 31%. It also stressed that the addition of new plots is only possible within a very limited scope and for reasons related to reparations and maintaining the population balance and real estate value.

The governorate pointed out that it is working in coordination with the local community to ensure the implementation of the project without inflicting any new damage on the residents, and called on the residents of Basilia not to be dragged behind rumors or sell their properties at low prices, reaffirming that the door for objection and grievances is open to everyone under the roof of the judiciary, and that it is committed to implementing any judicial ruling issued by the competent courts.

 The  Marota City and Basilia City projects are among the largest urban projects launched by the Damascus Governorate under Legislative Decree No. 66 of 2012, which aimed to reorganize informal housing areas and transform them into modern urban environments based on smart city standards.

Marota City: Regulatory Region I

The Marota City project is the first regulatory area and bears a Syriac name meaning "sovereignty and homeland", a reference to the symbolic character that the implementers wanted to give to the project.

The project is located behind Al-Razi Hospital, extending over large parts of the Mezzeh and Kafr Sousa areas, and covers an area of approximately 2.1 million square meters, making it one of the largest reconstruction projects within the capital.

Marota City's urban plan is based on the construction of high-rise residential and investment towers ranging from 11 to 50 floors high, in addition to modern commercial centers, wide green spaces, and service and administrative facilities, and the project is designed to accommodate about 60,000 people, while providing thousands of jobs in the construction and service sectors, making it a project with an economic and social dimension that goes beyond the boundaries of traditional housing.

Basilia City: Regulatory Region II

The Basilia City project is the second regulatory area, and it bears a Syriac name meaning "paradise", in reference to the green urban character that was planned. The project extends south of the southern Muthalaq, to include large areas of Mezzeh, Kafr Soussa, Basateen, Daraya, and Al-Qadam canals, all the way to Al-Thaleen Street, which makes it larger than Marota City in terms of area.