Yarmouk Camp

Yarmouk اليرموك
Jafra Palestinian Youth Center in Yarmouk Camp
Yarmouk Location in Syria
Coordinates: 33°28′N 36°18′E / 33.467°N 36.300°E / 33.467; 36.300Coordinates: 33°28′N 36°18′E / 33.467°N 36.300°E / 33.467; 36.300
Country	Syria
Governorate	Damascus Governorate
Established	1957
Area
• Total	2.11 km2 (0.81 sq mi)
Population (2004)
• Total	137,248
Area code(s)	11

Yarmouk Camp (Arabic: مخيم اليرموك‎) is a 2.11 square kilometres (0.81 sq mi) district of the city of Damascus, populated by Palestinians, with hospitals and schools. It is located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from the center of Damascus and inside the municipal boundaries but when established in 1957 was outside the surrounding city. Yarmouk is an "unofficial" refugee camp; it is home to the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria. As of June 2002, there were 112,550 registered refugees living in Yarmouk.^[1]

Overview

Yarmouk was established in 1957 on an area of 2.11 square kilometres (0.81 sq mi) to accommodate refugees who were squatters.^[1] Though it is not officially recognized as a refugee camp, road signs leading to this sector of the city “Mukhayyam al-Yarmouk”, meaning “Yarmouk camp”.^[1] Administratively, Yarmouk is a city (madina) in the Damascus governorate.^[2]

Over time, refugees living in Yarmouk have improved and expanded their residences. Currently, the district is densely populated, with cement block homes and narrow streets. Two main roads are lined with shops and filled with service taxis and microbuses that run through the camp.^[1] According to the BBC, although Yarmouk "is identified as a camp, there are no tents or slums in sight. It is a residential area with beauty salons and internet cafes."^[3]

Living conditions in Yarmouk appear to be better than in Palestinian refugee camps in Syria and residents of the camp are made up of many professionals, such as doctors, engineers and civil servants, as well as many who are employed as casual laborers and street vendors.^[1]

There are four hospitals and a number of government-run secondary schools. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operates 20 elementary schools and eight preparatory schools in the camp and sponsors two women's program centers. There are three UNRWA health care centers in Yarmouk, two of which received upgrades in 1996 with contributions from the government of Canada. In 1997, six schools were upgraded with contributions from the government of the United States, and a kindergarten was built with funds from the government of Australia. In 1998, the UNRWA was also able to construct a health center funded by the government of the Netherlands.^[1] There is another Health Center whose expertise is devoted to prevention and treatment of Thalasemia. The Center was built in 2009 thanks to funds provided by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) .

During the Syrian civil war, Yarmouk camp became the scene of intense fighting between the rebel Free Syrian Army and its Palestinian ally Liwa al-Asifa on one hand and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) supported by Syrian Army government forces on the other.

See also

• Khalil al-Wazir
• Mustafa al-Hallaj

References

External links

• Yarmouk, articles from UNWRA
• Palestinians at Yarmouk camp are forced to take sides in the Syrian conflict, Dunia Manzar, Mon, 11/02/2013

v t e Palestinian refugee camps locations and populations as of 2013  Gaza Strip 1,221,110  West Bank 741,409 refugees  Syria 499,189 refugees  Lebanon 448,599 refugees  Jordan 2,034,641 refugees Al-Shati (Beach camp) 87,000 Bureij 34,000 Deir al-Balah 21,000 Jabalia 110,000 Khan Yunis 72,000 Maghazi 24,000 Nuseirat 66,000 Rafah 104,000 Aqabat Jaber 6,400 Ein as-Sultan 8,083 Far'a 7,600 Fawwar 8,000 Jalazone 11,000 Kalandia 11,000 Am'ari 10,500 Deir 'Ammar 2,400 Dheisheh 2,189 Dheisheh 13,000 Aida 4,700 Al-Arroub 10,400 Askar 15,900 Balata 23,600 'Azza (Beit Jibrin) 1,000 Ein Beit al-Ma' (Camp No. 1) 6,750 Tulkarm camp 18,000 Nur Shams 9,000 Jenin camp 16,000 Shuafat camp 11,000 Sbeineh 22,600 Khan Eshieh 20,000 Neirab 20,500 Homs 22,000 Jaramana camp 18,658 Daraa camp 10,000 Hama camp 8,000 Khan Dannun 10,000 Qabr Essit 23,700 Latakia Camp 10,000 Yarmouk 148,500 Ein el-Tal 6,000 Bourj el-Barajneh 17,945 Ain al-Hilweh 54,116 El Buss 11,254 Nahr al-Bared 300 families Shatila 9,842 Wavel 8,806 Mar Elias 662 Mieh Mieh 5,250 Mieh Mieh 5,078 Beddawi 16,500 Burj el-Shemali 22,789 Rashidieh 31,478 Zarqa camp 20,000 Jabal el-Hussein 29,000 Amman New Camp (Wihdat) 51,500 Baqa'a 104,000 Husn (Martyr Azmi el-Mufti camp) 22,000 Irbid camp 25,000 Jerash camp 24,000 Marka 53,000 Talbieh 7,000