Syria has experienced multiple droughts over the decades, and as recently as 2021 [Getty/file photo]
Syria’s ministry of endowments has called for special rain prayers to be performed on Friday as the country faces drought, further exacerbating conditions for people in the war-hit country.
The prayer, known in Arabic as Salat al-Istisqa, tends to be performed by worshippers after Friday prayers, in a collective ritual to ask God to provide enough rain for farming and human consumption.
After a delay in wet weather in Syria, religious figures are asking Syrians to pray for rainfall, a common practice in the Middle East and North Africa region.
“Due to the delay in rain in many governorates, and following the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad in such a calamity, you are requested to perform the Istisqa prayer next Friday,” the ministry said according to the official Syrian news agency, SANA.
The ministry also asked worshippers carry out several good deeds before the drought prayer, including repentance and seeking forgiveness, redressing grievances and rights, fasting for three days, and increasing supplications.
It also recommended that the drought prayer be performed in designated areas outside villages and cities, and encouraged the inclusion of women and children in the Muslim ritual. If the above is not feasible, then the prayer can be performed in mosques immediately after Friday prayers, the ministry added.
Syria, which is currently undergoing a transitional period following the ouster of the Assad regime, is seeking to economically recover from years of war and regime corruption, as well as to reconcile with regional and global powers to ensure a smooth political transition.
Syria, like many developing countries, is largely impacted by climate change, triggered by warmer temperatures and declining rainfall. Drought was considered by some to be a catalyst for unrest in Syria, due to the influx of farmers to urban areas in recent years, in addition to regime corruption and brutality.
The Euphrates River, which runs through northeast Syria as well as Iraq, has recently seen historically low levels of rainfall, shrinking water basins, impacting agriculture output, and limiting access to clean water.
Water evaporation, caused by increasing temperatures, leads to soil dryness, a decrease in the groundwater level, and the continuous shrinkage of water bodies in rivers, lakes, and dams.
Between 2022 and April 2024, Syria lost around 2.2 million cubic metres of water, according to think tank Carnegie’s Middle East journal, Sada.
Political factors also impact Syria’s decreasing access to water, particular in the northeast, controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Turkey, and Turkish-backed armed groups who seek to get rid of the SDF forces, have continually struck the region, impacting access to water and electricity.
Turkey has also significantly restricted the flow of water from the Euphrates River and its tributaries into Syria, Sada added.
Economic hardship, worsened by sanctions placed on the Assad regime and international isolation, have also contributed to farmers producing less and less produce as many are unable to afford technology or means that would aid the agricultural process.
Syrians overwhelmingly rely on agriculture, and 65 percent of its water derives from rainfall needed to for agricultural duties, according to an EU report.
Syria has experienced successive droughts in the 1990s, mid 2000s and as recently as 2021. Global temperatures continue to soar, with the most recent year – 2024 – being the hottest on record for several countries. Temperatures will no doubt also increase in 2025, further risking Syrians’ livelihood and access to water.
