Barzeh Scientific Research Center (SSRC – Institute 2000)

The Barzeh Scientific Research Center (also called the Barzah Scientific Research Centre or SSRC – Institute 2000) was a facility of Syria’s government-run Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC/CERS) in the Barzeh/Masakin Barzeh area of northeastern Damascus. Open-source mapping and reporting consistently place the site within the Barzeh district, near residential Masakin Barzeh.

The site is best known internationally for its alleged role within Syria’s weapons research infrastructure and for being a focus of inspections and reporting by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). It is of interest to researchers, policy analysts, journalists, and human-rights or conflict-monitoring organizations studying Syria’s military-industrial complex and the country’s disarmament history.

Following the 2013 international agreement on Syria’s chemical weapons, the Barzeh facility became subject to periodic OPCW inspections. On April 14, 2018, buildings at the Barzeh compound were destroyed during U.S.-led strikes on targets linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program. OPCW reports and subsequent open-source analyses have continued to reference the Barzeh/Jamraya SSRC sites in their updates on Syria’s declaration and verification issues.