Damascus Launches "Qassioun Journey" Project With Fanfare

Damascus Governorate, in cooperation with the Syrian Ministry of Tourism, officially launched the "Qassioun Journey" project on April 21, 2026, during a formal ceremony held at the Damascus Opera House. The event was attended by several ministers, the governors of Damascus and Rural Damascus, as well as ambassadors, investors, and business figures. The launch came approximately one year after construction work began at the site, with no prior public disclosure of the project's scope or executing party.

Absence of Financial Transparency

Despite the official nature of the event, senior officials provided no substantive financial information. The ceremony produced no figures on the project's total estimated cost, no accounting of infrastructure expenditure already incurred by the governorate on retaining walls, roads, electricity, water, and sewage networks, no identification of the companies to be contracted, no disclosed funding sources, and no published economic feasibility study.

Announced Project Components

A presentation delivered at the opening of the ceremony outlined the following components under the "Qassioun Journey" initiative:

• A cable car (teleferique) stretching 2.4 kilometers from the Umayyad Garden toward Mount Qassioun.
• An underground parking facility within the Umayyad Garden.
• An improved internal transport network, with collective transit links from the Rabwa bus terminal and the Nayrabeen and Umayyad Garden stations.
• Rehabilitation and construction of the Shami Garden in the northern section of the area, extending toward the Unknown Soldier Road.
• Commercial kiosks and retail units.
• An amphitheater and children's theater on the slopes of Qassioun for cultural and recreational activities.

Supporting services include security and medical posts, civil defense units, a mosque, electric transport vehicles, entertainment carnivals, food carts and designated barbecue areas, and general public facilities.

Statements by the Governor of Damascus

Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi confirmed that 70 percent of the project will be free and open to the public, with new electricity and sewage infrastructure to ensure site safety and sustainability. He denied that any investment concessions had been granted within the project, with the exception of the parking facility, adding that remaining investment opportunities would be offered through an electronic platform whose launch date was not announced. The governor disclosed the existence of more than 7,000 job opportunities and hundreds of small and medium investment prospects within the project, and indicated that most components are targeted for inauguration by the end of summer 2026. He described the project as complementary to the governorate's infrastructure and displaced-persons priorities, not a substitute for them.

Tourism Minister and the Guinness Record Claim

Tourism Minister Mazen al-Salahani announced that Mount Qassioun would host Syria's first project to enter the Guinness World Records, stating that Guinness representatives attended the ceremony and expressed support for the idea, which is to be formally announced at a subsequent event. He did not specify which element of the project is being put forward for the record. Al-Salahani added that the project would serve as an incubator for business and innovation, with investment contracts to be managed through a transparent digital platform.

Engineering Works and Infrastructure

Deputy Governor and chief technical officer Engineer Muammar Dakkak disclosed that construction and infrastructure works had exceeded 80 percent completion. He noted that governorate teams had inspected sites previously inaccessible under the former regime, finding that structures known as "rest areas" were in fact primitive installations consisting of concrete slabs resting on barrels filled with stones, lacking basic structural safety standards and posing a risk to residents below the mountain. Dakkak stated that the governorate had conducted detailed soil studies, geotechnical and geophysical tests, and carried out slope stabilization and foundation preparation in accordance with engineering safety standards. He confirmed that all works were undertaken in institutional cooperation with the University of Damascus, which contributed expert input to the studies, and the Engineers Syndicate, which prepared structural safety reports and certified the completed works.