Syria’s ‘city of minarets’ no more

As the holy month of Ramadan enters its second week, the Syrian town of Muadamiya does not have a single minaret left to broadcast the evening call to prayer that marks the end of Muslims’ daily fast. Syria’s "city of minarets" has become the first to have every minaret of its 11 mosques ruined, with seven of the mosques being almost completely destroyed. The places of worship had become shelters for people displaced by the war. The town, on the outskirts of Damascus, has been under siege for the past eight months. Activists warn that it is on the brink of a humanitarian crisis, saying residents face daily bombardment from regime missiles. They have been without electricity for the past 238 days and have suffered a severe shortage of bread and other food for the past 196. Nearly 6,000 women and children and more than 850 are reported to be trapped inside the besieged town. Four kilometres from Damascus, Muadamiya’s position as western entry point to the capital helps to explain the fierce government siege. The town has lost 1,100 of its residents since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.