Awja and Janarek (Green Almonds and Green Plums)

In Syria the first fruits of spring are sour and green. Awja is the green almond, picked before its shell hardens; janarek is the green plum. In Damascus both are sold at the same stall. The Damascus Governorate treats it as a single stall type, and in 2023 it issued 41 licences for awja and janarek stalls. The season is short: awja from late February into March, janarek in April and May.

Awja: green almonds from the coast in late February

The awja season opens in late February, in small quantities, when the weather warms after rain. Almonds from the first days count as the most expensive early produce on the market. The known picking area is the countryside of Tartus and Banyas: from villages such as Karkafti and Khirbet al-Sanasil to the Banyas wholesale market, and from there to Damascus. In Damascus they are sold by the ounce in small bags, and Souq al-Tanabel in Shaalan is one of the places named for them. Part of the crop is exported to the Gulf and Lebanon.

Janarek: the April plum from the east

Janarek reaches the Damascus markets in April. Because it is an early fruit, the first crop comes from Deir ez-Zor and the Jazira; 7al.net wrote in 2022 that it is the fruit Syrians want most. An old Damascus street call ties it to Rabweh instead: “ya mal al-Rabweh”, the produce of Rabweh.

The plum has a history in syrup too. Qamus al-Sinaat al-Shamiyya, a dictionary of Damascene trades compiled by Muhammad Said al-Qasimi in the early 20th century, records a sweet called muqattar made by candying janarek in syrup.

Why the harvest has fallen

Tree losses in the Ghouta and rural Damascus have cut awja and janarek production. In 2025 the Consumer Protection Association described both as seasonal fruits found only in Bilad al-Sham, most of them exported. Prices at the start of the season are very high and change week by week; ask at the stall.

Why they share a stall

The two fruits come one after the other: awja ends in March and janarek starts in April. That keeps the stall full from late February to May. Green almonds and green plums are spring fruit in many countries. What sets Damascus apart is how they are sold and where they come from: both stand on one separately licensed stall, the almonds from the coast and the first plums from the Jazira.