After 3 Years, Jordan Refugee Camp for Syrians Now a City

Only empty desert three years ago, the Mideast’s largest camp for Syrian civil war refugees has grown from a town of tents into a bustling city.

In this Wednesday, July 29, 2015 photo, an elderly Syrian refugee woman stands outside her shelter surrounded with flowers she planted, at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan. AP Photo/Raad Adayleh

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan—Only empty desert three years ago, the Middle East’s largest camp for Syrian civil war refugees has grown from a town of tents into a bustling city.

The United Nations-administered camp plans water and sewage systems, a $20 million solar power plant, and even ATM machines for refugee aid payments.

But behind the plans is a cold reality for the 81,000 exiles living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp: The conflict back home, now in its fifth year, won’t be over anytime soon.

Some deal with that reality by making the best of life in exile, like the Zaatari high school senior who studied hard in cramped quarters to win a university scholarship, or the former farmer who planted a garden because he was tired of looking at the desert.

A Syrian refugee boy plays with a tire at Zaatari refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan, on July 29, 2015. AP Photo/Raad Adayleh