Humanitarian organizations have begun relocating families from the old al-Salama camp, located near the Bab al-Salama border crossing with Turkey, to a newly established housing complex in the village of al-Taqli, near the city of Souran in northern Aleppo.
The families living in the camp are primarily displaced from the city of Tal Rifaat and its surrounding rural areas north of Aleppo. The new residential complex was built by Qatar Charity in partnership with the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), and is specifically designed to provide shelter and comprehensive services to meet the needs of displaced families.
Facilities and Details of the Residential Complex
The complex spans an area of 300 dunums and consists of 1,400 housing units. This includes 1,200 units of 50 square meters each, and 200 larger units of 100 square meters. The complex is divided into 9 neighborhoods, each equipped with various amenities to support the daily needs of residents. These amenities include a school, a kindergarten, a vocational school, a health center, sports facilities, and a mosque, among other features designed to ensure a comfortable living environment for those displaced.
Educational and Health Services
The residential complex offers a range of educational and health services. It includes a school with a capacity of 500 students, consisting of 14 classrooms, and a kindergarten that can accommodate 150 children, with 8 classrooms. Additionally, there is a vocational school providing training in various skills such as barbering, nursing, media, accounting, cooking, sewing, and women’s hairdressing. The complex also houses a health center with several departments, including obstetrics, first aid, specialized clinics for children and dermatology, as well as an emergency and blood drawing unit. For recreation, the complex offers two sports courts, one for basketball and the other for football. A 550-square-meter mosque, which can accommodate 800 people, has been built, along with a bazaar consisting of 50 shops to meet the daily needs of the residents.
Old al-Salama Camp
The old al-Salama camp, located near the Bab al-Salama border crossing, has been home to families displaced from Tal Rifaat and its surrounding areas. In recent years, many families in the camp have replaced their tents with concrete rooms. Local sources have reported that authorities are working to demolish the buildings in the camp as families agree to move to the new residential complex. However, some families have expressed reluctance to relocate due to the distance from their workplaces and schools.
Humanitarian organizations, both local and international, have been building similar housing complexes across northwestern Syria for several years to address the growing needs of displaced populations.
