A fire broke out late on Thursday in the historic Manakhliye market of Old Damascus, residents reported, less than a month after a blaze engulfed the nearby UNESCO-listed Asruniyeh market.
A source told Zaman al-Wasl that the fire erupted in an archeological site situated along an extension of Malik Faisal Street, but the extent of the damage is unclear amid noticeable silence from regime-run media outlets.
Pro-regime media pages reported news of a fire in the Al-Amaraa neighborhood, but did not mention that the blaze had reached the adjacent Manakhliye market.
The activist-run “Diary of a Mortar Shell” Facebook page said the fire erupted in the Al-Amaraa neighborhood behind the Adaas Mosque opposite the police station. The page added that firemen were working to put out the fire.
The pro-regime “Damascus Now” Facebook page published an image of the fire, stating it erupted in a wooden shop in the Al-Amaraa neighborhood and caused only material damage.
Social media users commented on the post claiming the fire was a deliberate conspiracy against Damascus and a scheme by the regime and Iran to empty the city of its original inhabitants.
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
