The governorate is divided into ten districts ( ; manatiq). There were nine district until February 2009, when Qudsaya District was created from parts of Markaz Rif Dimashq and Al-Zabadani districts. The districts are further divided into 37 sub-districts.There is a small village belonging to the Damascus countryside (Ghouta) called Aqraba, which is characterized by its fields and agricultural orchards. ( ;nawahi).