Syrian refugees in Jordan use donkey-drawn carts amid lockdown
Donkey-drawn carts have become the main means of transportation inside the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan after Jordanian authorities prevented cars from entering and leaving the camp since March 2020 as part of its coronavirus measures.
AMMAN, Jordan — With the Zaatari Syrian refugee camp being isolated for more than a year as part of Jordan’s preventive measures against COVID-19, its residents have resorted to using antiquated traditional means of transportation.
The Zaatari camp in northern Jordan is home to 79,305 Syrian refugees, according to data from the UNHCR issued on May 31. Jordanian authorities have prevented cars from entering and leaving the camp since March 2020, so refugees have been using special buses with permits to travel within the camp.
In the 5.3-square-kilometer refugee camp east of the city of Mafraq in northeastern Jordan, the tanbar, which is a donkey-drawn cart that was prevalent in Syria in the last century, became the most common means of transportation.
After the camp was put under lockdown, Saeed Abu Khashrif, 50, thought he would bring back the tanbar to transport his tools. “I work as a blacksmith. At first, I made a hand-pull cart to transport materials when working outside the workshop, but then I thought that if I built a hantour (another type of animal-drawn cart) it would be easier to use, especially for women, so I added seats and curtains,” he told Al-Monitor.
