Success in Salamiyah, Syria: making sulphurous water drinkable | Oxfam GB
In the run up to World Humanitarian Day Leen Saeb, Oxfam Public Health Engineer, shares a recent success from our Syria emergency response programme. In Salamiyah City, Oxfam has worked with local engineers to perform the impressive feat of setting up a reverse osmosis plant to treat sulphurous water, permanently.
Salamiyah city in Hama Governorate, Syria, has been suffering from severe water shortages as a result of the prolonged crisis and increased pressure on resources. This has posed big challenges as the water quality in Salamiyah is poor due to the level of sulphur, and the number of drinking wells was insufficient for demand. Prior to Oxfam’s intervention piped water was only available once every ten days, and even then for only a few hours.
https://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2015/ ... ilimail%29
INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES IN SYRIA
VIDEO: AKDN seeks to sustain hope in Syria says Mawlana Hazar Imam
http://www.theismaili.org/news-events/v ... hazar-imam
TheIsmaili.org
4 February 2016
London, 4 February 2016 — Deploring the devastation in war-ravaged Syria, Mawlana Hazar Imam called for the establishment of “islands of stability” to provide areas of relative safety in the midst of conflict.
Also see:
» Mawlana Hazar Imam’s statement
» AKDN press release
“I am deeply distressed over the indiscriminate and widespread devastation of life and property, including that of irreplaceable cultural assets which are the manifestation of Syria’s stunningly rich pluralistic history,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam in his remarks to the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Nations today in London.
The Aga Khan Development Network, he continued, “is fully engaged with the peace process under UN leadership, and is firmly committed to helping build a Syria that continues to respect pluralism, remains secular, and embarks on a political process led by Syrians.”
Since 2011, AKDN has already dedicated $50 million to projects in the country. At the conference, Mawlana Hazar Imam pledged to expand activities in Syria, contributing $200 million over the next four years.
AKDN had been active in Syria for many years before the war began. Since the war, the Ismaili Imamat has been assisting efforts to assist internally displaced people, “supporting local community leaders, teachers, doctors, engineers and others to foster stability, protecting their families and their communities” and “investing in communities by supporting agriculture, income generation, early childhood education, schools, and hospitals,” explained Hazar Imam.
“Our goal is to sustain hope,” he said.
Mawlana Hazar Imam addressing the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London on 4 February 2016.
Mawlana Hazar Imam addressing the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London on 4 February 2016.
AKDN
http://www.theismaili.org/news-events/v ... hazar-imam
TheIsmaili.org
4 February 2016
London, 4 February 2016 — Deploring the devastation in war-ravaged Syria, Mawlana Hazar Imam called for the establishment of “islands of stability” to provide areas of relative safety in the midst of conflict.
Also see:
» Mawlana Hazar Imam’s statement
» AKDN press release
“I am deeply distressed over the indiscriminate and widespread devastation of life and property, including that of irreplaceable cultural assets which are the manifestation of Syria’s stunningly rich pluralistic history,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam in his remarks to the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Nations today in London.
The Aga Khan Development Network, he continued, “is fully engaged with the peace process under UN leadership, and is firmly committed to helping build a Syria that continues to respect pluralism, remains secular, and embarks on a political process led by Syrians.”
Since 2011, AKDN has already dedicated $50 million to projects in the country. At the conference, Mawlana Hazar Imam pledged to expand activities in Syria, contributing $200 million over the next four years.
AKDN had been active in Syria for many years before the war began. Since the war, the Ismaili Imamat has been assisting efforts to assist internally displaced people, “supporting local community leaders, teachers, doctors, engineers and others to foster stability, protecting their families and their communities” and “investing in communities by supporting agriculture, income generation, early childhood education, schools, and hospitals,” explained Hazar Imam.
“Our goal is to sustain hope,” he said.
Mawlana Hazar Imam addressing the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London on 4 February 2016.
Mawlana Hazar Imam addressing the Supporting Syria and the Region conference in London on 4 February 2016.
AKDN
The article below explains what the loss of cultural assets mean.Mowlana Hazar Imam speech wrote:“I am deeply distressed over the indiscriminate and widespread devastation of life and property, including that of irreplaceable cultural assets which are the manifestation of Syria’s stunningly rich pluralistic history,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam in his remarks to the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, co-hosted by the United Kingdom, Germany, Kuwait, Norway, and the United Nations today in London.
Life Among the Ruins
Extract:
When lamenting the masonry and sculpture destroyed by the Islamic State, we can easily overlook this shifting human story. We too readily consign antiquities to the remote province of the past. But they can remain meaningful in surprising and ordinary ways. “This is the meaning of heritage,” Ms. Kuntar said. “It’s not only architecture or artifacts that represent history, it’s these memories and the ancestral connection to place.”
Bulldozed by the Islamic State in 2015, the 1,500-year-old monastery of St. Elian, near Al Qaryatain, Syria, was a symbol of these connections. It was a modest and unadorned structure that had none of the glamour of the Temple of Baal; a 3D reconstruction of the rather plain sarcophagus that held the remains of its eponymous saint won’t be coming to a major Western city any time soon. But its importance lay in its role as a bridge between communities.
Al Qaryatain is a small town in the desert between Palmyra and Damascus. For centuries, Christian and Muslim pilgrims alike came to the monastery to seek the blessings of the saint. Muslims venerated St. Elian as a Sufi sheikh, known to them as Sheikh Ahmed the Priest. His tomb was draped in the green satin common to Sufi holy sites.
Until the turbulence of the civil war, the monastery hosted the festival of Eid Mar Elian every Sept. 9. Five to six thousand devotees — Muslim and Christian — would converge on the monastery, where under a large tent erected in the central cloister they would swap tales about St. Elian/Sheikh Ahmed, share plates of lamb and rice, and dance the dabka.
In attacking the monastery, the Islamic State was not simply leveling a holy place. The militants struck at a site that had knit Muslim and Christian communities together for centuries. Local legend has it that centuries ago, the townspeople decided that no matter whether Islam or Christianity gathered more believers, the group in the majority would always protect the one in the minority. Generations of pilgrims left affectionate graffiti on the sarcophagus of Mar Elian, including a Star of David suggesting that at least one Jew visited the saint.
More...
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/opini ... ef=opinion
A Jewel in Syria Where ‘Ruins Have Been Ruined’ by ISIS
Excerpt:
Despite the Islamic State’s efforts, many of the ancient sites in Palmyra were undamaged. The destruction in the modern parts of Tadmur was far worse. Shops, cafes and houses in the city appeared to have been abandoned, empty of any signs of the once-vibrant city life in Syria.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/world ... 87722&_r=0
Excerpt:
Despite the Islamic State’s efforts, many of the ancient sites in Palmyra were undamaged. The destruction in the modern parts of Tadmur was far worse. Shops, cafes and houses in the city appeared to have been abandoned, empty of any signs of the once-vibrant city life in Syria.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/05/world ... 87722&_r=0
UNHCR selects AKMI roster artists Basel Rajoub and Soriana Project to perform for UN World Refugee Day commemoration
Geneva, Switzerland, 20 June 2016 - Syrian saxophonist and composer Basel Rajoub and his Soriana Project are the featured performers for the 2016 commemoration of World Refugee Day at the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva today. First marked in 2001, World Refugee Day is observed each year on 20 June to commemorate the “strength, courage, and perseverance of millions of refugees,” according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Rajoub and Soriana are part of the artist roster of the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI), which supports musicians and music educators from 11 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who are working to preserve, revitalise and transmit their musical heritage to new generations of artists and audiences.
Soriana translated as “Our Syria” is a project which brings together eminent performer-composer-improvisers from Syria and the West who create contemporary music inspired by the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East. Rajoub, himself living away from his homeland, Syria, notes that he has been sustained by the knowledge of his own cultural heritage that he has carried with him. “This gift of musical knowledge has remained with me throughout many journeys, during which it has soothed wounds, inspired creativity, and provided a platform of stability,” said Rajoub.
Rajoub, born in Aleppo, Syria, and currently a resident of Switzerland, will by joined for the World Refugee Day performance by fellow Soriana Project musicians Feras Charestan, from Al-Hasakeh, in northeast Syria, who presently lives in Stockholm, and is a virtuoso performer on the qanun, a plucked zither with ancient roots in the Middle East; vocalist Lynn Adib, born in Damascus and currently a resident of Paris; and Italian percussionist Andrea Piccioni, a leading performer on frame drums from a variety of world music traditions. In May 2016, Basel Rajoub and Soriana Project released their first joint recording, “The Queen of Turquoise,” on the Jazz Village label of Harmonia Mundi, an international record company known for both its classical music and jazz catalogues.
Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) supports sustaining musicianship and music making —both amateur and professional — for and within displaced communities. Though support for music and other forms of cultural expression is often viewed as a low priority in humanitarian assistance programmes for refugees, AKMI believes that art and music offer a unique resource and can sustain hope and provide an intangible, yet indestructible link to cultural memory, which, eventually becomes the catalyst of cultural revitalisation.
For more information on Basel Rajoub and Soriana Project, and on the Aga Khan Music Initiative, please follow the links:
http://sorianaproject.com (Soriana Project)
http://www.akdn.org/akmi (Aga Khan Music Initiative)
Geneva, Switzerland, 20 June 2016 - Syrian saxophonist and composer Basel Rajoub and his Soriana Project are the featured performers for the 2016 commemoration of World Refugee Day at the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva today. First marked in 2001, World Refugee Day is observed each year on 20 June to commemorate the “strength, courage, and perseverance of millions of refugees,” according to UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
Rajoub and Soriana are part of the artist roster of the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI), which supports musicians and music educators from 11 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East who are working to preserve, revitalise and transmit their musical heritage to new generations of artists and audiences.
Soriana translated as “Our Syria” is a project which brings together eminent performer-composer-improvisers from Syria and the West who create contemporary music inspired by the rich cultural heritage of the Middle East. Rajoub, himself living away from his homeland, Syria, notes that he has been sustained by the knowledge of his own cultural heritage that he has carried with him. “This gift of musical knowledge has remained with me throughout many journeys, during which it has soothed wounds, inspired creativity, and provided a platform of stability,” said Rajoub.
Rajoub, born in Aleppo, Syria, and currently a resident of Switzerland, will by joined for the World Refugee Day performance by fellow Soriana Project musicians Feras Charestan, from Al-Hasakeh, in northeast Syria, who presently lives in Stockholm, and is a virtuoso performer on the qanun, a plucked zither with ancient roots in the Middle East; vocalist Lynn Adib, born in Damascus and currently a resident of Paris; and Italian percussionist Andrea Piccioni, a leading performer on frame drums from a variety of world music traditions. In May 2016, Basel Rajoub and Soriana Project released their first joint recording, “The Queen of Turquoise,” on the Jazz Village label of Harmonia Mundi, an international record company known for both its classical music and jazz catalogues.
Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) supports sustaining musicianship and music making —both amateur and professional — for and within displaced communities. Though support for music and other forms of cultural expression is often viewed as a low priority in humanitarian assistance programmes for refugees, AKMI believes that art and music offer a unique resource and can sustain hope and provide an intangible, yet indestructible link to cultural memory, which, eventually becomes the catalyst of cultural revitalisation.
For more information on Basel Rajoub and Soriana Project, and on the Aga Khan Music Initiative, please follow the links:
http://sorianaproject.com (Soriana Project)
http://www.akdn.org/akmi (Aga Khan Music Initiative)
Health Ministry, AKDN sign MoU to develop diagnostic and therapeutic capacity
Damascus, SANA-Health Ministry and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) signed on Thursday a MoU stipulating the establishment of health projects and programs in the fields of developing the diagnostic and therapeutic capacity of the health establishments and health care systems and promote health in society by supporting social initiatives.
According to the MoU, the AKDN will contribute to building the capabilities of the health workers, developing the health polices of the Health Ministry, improving the infrastructure of the health establishments and cooperating to offer medical equipment and medicines, particularly the ones that are used by the ministry for the treatment of communicable and chronic diseases.
In press statement following the signing ceremony, Health Minister Nizar Yazigi said that the MoU is as an extra incentive to develop a mechanism of joint work between the ministry and AKDN, hailing the efforts of the AKDN in supporting the work of the health sector’s establishments.
For his part, AKDN Resident Representative in Syria Mohamed Saifo said that this is the third MoU between the AKDN and the Health Ministry, stressing on the AKDN’s keenness to cooperate with the Health Ministry to provide better health services for citizens.
Manar al-Frieh/Manal
http://sana.sy/en/?p=85998
Damascus, SANA-Health Ministry and Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) signed on Thursday a MoU stipulating the establishment of health projects and programs in the fields of developing the diagnostic and therapeutic capacity of the health establishments and health care systems and promote health in society by supporting social initiatives.
According to the MoU, the AKDN will contribute to building the capabilities of the health workers, developing the health polices of the Health Ministry, improving the infrastructure of the health establishments and cooperating to offer medical equipment and medicines, particularly the ones that are used by the ministry for the treatment of communicable and chronic diseases.
In press statement following the signing ceremony, Health Minister Nizar Yazigi said that the MoU is as an extra incentive to develop a mechanism of joint work between the ministry and AKDN, hailing the efforts of the AKDN in supporting the work of the health sector’s establishments.
For his part, AKDN Resident Representative in Syria Mohamed Saifo said that this is the third MoU between the AKDN and the Health Ministry, stressing on the AKDN’s keenness to cooperate with the Health Ministry to provide better health services for citizens.
Manar al-Frieh/Manal
http://sana.sy/en/?p=85998
Tourism Ministry, AKDN discuss cooperation
Damascus, SANA – Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi discussed on Sunday with resident representative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Mohamed Saifo and AKDN legal director Ali Ismail means for developing cooperation between the two sides, particulary in the fields of training and tourism projects.
The two sides also discussed joint activities, with Yazigi lauding the AKDN’s efforts particularly the “Syria: A Living History” exhibition held at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto which opened on October 15 and will remain open until February 26, 2017.
On a related note, Yazigi discussed with Chairman of the Board of Directors of Australian holdings company Team Five Mohammad Hammoud prospects of investment in the tourism sector in Syria.
Hammoud voiced his company’s desire to launch investment projects in Syria, noting that the Syrian government is providing facilitations for investments.
Hazem Sabbagh
http://sana.sy/en/?p=92053
Damascus, SANA – Tourism Minister Bishr Yazigi discussed on Sunday with resident representative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Mohamed Saifo and AKDN legal director Ali Ismail means for developing cooperation between the two sides, particulary in the fields of training and tourism projects.
The two sides also discussed joint activities, with Yazigi lauding the AKDN’s efforts particularly the “Syria: A Living History” exhibition held at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto which opened on October 15 and will remain open until February 26, 2017.
On a related note, Yazigi discussed with Chairman of the Board of Directors of Australian holdings company Team Five Mohammad Hammoud prospects of investment in the tourism sector in Syria.
Hammoud voiced his company’s desire to launch investment projects in Syria, noting that the Syrian government is providing facilitations for investments.
Hazem Sabbagh
http://sana.sy/en/?p=92053
Syria's Civil War: Aleppo's heritage sites 'in danger'
UNESCO representatives are expected in Damascus next week to discuss ways of salvaging Aleppo's heritage.
Extract:
The Aga Khan Foundation, which was involved in the restoration of Aleppo's citadel in 2008, is participating in emergency discussions in Damascus and representatives of UNESCO are due to visit Syria next week to agree on emergency measures, Adbulkarim said. He added that a major restoration project cannot begin until the conflict in Syria ends.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/featur ... 54224.html
UNESCO representatives are expected in Damascus next week to discuss ways of salvaging Aleppo's heritage.
Extract:
The Aga Khan Foundation, which was involved in the restoration of Aleppo's citadel in 2008, is participating in emergency discussions in Damascus and representatives of UNESCO are due to visit Syria next week to agree on emergency measures, Adbulkarim said. He added that a major restoration project cannot begin until the conflict in Syria ends.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/featur ... 54224.html
In the rubble, Aleppo's citizens work to save battered heritage
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN15S1T4
Extract:
The Aga Khan Development Network's cultural arm, which was behind a multi-million dollar restoration and urban development project around the Citadel and nearby souks a decade ago, said it was also looking at possible rehabilitation of the area.
Aleppo is one of the Middle East's great historic centers, its ancient Citadel and medieval mosques and souks among the region's finest buildings and a source of national pride - and tourist revenue - for Syria.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN15S1T4
Extract:
The Aga Khan Development Network's cultural arm, which was behind a multi-million dollar restoration and urban development project around the Citadel and nearby souks a decade ago, said it was also looking at possible rehabilitation of the area.
Aleppo is one of the Middle East's great historic centers, its ancient Citadel and medieval mosques and souks among the region's finest buildings and a source of national pride - and tourist revenue - for Syria.
The Reconstruction of the Mosque of Aleppo - Aga Khan
Corriere della Sera 13 Sept. 2017
]The Aga Khan and the Italian project
to rebuild the Aleppo mosque
A ten-million-euro plan. Two Italian universities will be involved. "Hope for all Syria"
by Francesco Battistini
For Google Translation see below the original Italian text.
http://www.corriere.it/esteri/17_settem ... resh_ce-cp
L’Aga Khan e il progetto italiano
per ricostruire la moschea di Aleppo
Un piano da dieci milioni di euro. Saranno coinvolte due università italiane. «Speranza per tutta la Siria»
di Francesco Battistini
Dov’era, com’era. Fra le mani un modellino in plastica bianca del minareto di Aleppo, il dottor Radwan Khawatmi lo rigira con la nostalgia dei giochi d’infanzia: «Io sono nato a pochi metri da lì. Ero bambino e sentivo sempre il muezzin. Andavo a scuola e mi fermavo a bere l’acqua della moschea. Certi pomeriggi caldi, mi riposavo all’ombra di quel muro». I ricordi di Radwan sono morti il 24 aprile 2013: «Quando hanno distrutto il minareto e quasi tutta la moschea, mi sono sentito distrutto anch’io: ormai vivo in Italia da quasi 50 anni, ma se vado in Siria mi chiamano ancora l’italiano che parla con l’accento d’Aleppo. Quel giorno ho chiamato Sua Altezza e ho detto: dobbiamo fare qualcosa...». Detto e fatto. Sua Altezza Shah Karim al-Husaini, l’Aga Khan IV, discendente del Profeta e capo spirituale di 27 milioni di sciiti ismailiti sparsi nel mondo, inventore della Costa Smeralda e filantropo che ha portato le scuole nelle sperdute valli afgane, sarà lui a ricostruire Aleppo. A cominciare dalla torre tirata su dopo l’anno Mille, e abbattuta in pochi minuti, per poi passare all’antica moschea degli Omayyadi, al bazar, alla Cittadella. «La precedenza l’avrà il minareto. Perché è simbolico, in una città di 4 milioni d’abitanti. È la cupola di San Pietro per Roma. È il campanile di San Marco a Venezia: da rifare dov’era, com’era».
Se il tuo vicino ti odia, dice un proverbio arabo, sposta la porta della tua casa. Nell’Aleppo delle mille fedi, porta d’Oriente inferiore solo a Istanbul e al Cairo, tappa carovaniera di musulmani e cristiani ed ebrei, «la Parigi del Medio Oriente» dove Agatha Christie scrisse «Assassinio sull’Orient Express», una delle più antiche città del mondo arricchita da ittiti e assiri, babilonesi e persiani, romani e abbasidi, bizantini e mamelucchi, ottomani e francesi, in questi anni di guerra la Grande Moschea patrimonio dell’Unesco s’è trovata a 200 metri dalla prima linea e l’odio fra i vicini ne ha fatto la porta dell’inferno: distrutte le mura perimetrali, crollati i 49 metri del minareto, saccheggiate le macerie, sparita la millenaria cupola di legno del muezzin, polverizzati i mosaici e bruciati gl’intagli. «In gennaio — dice Khawatmi —, al nostro primo sopralluogo, mi ha pianto il cuore. I progettisti ci hanno detto che solo per il minareto ci vorranno quattro anni di lavoro: noi abbiamo insistito per farlo in due, costi quel che costi». Una decina di milioni. E non sarà come disegnare il modellino di plastica bianca: l’Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Aktc) ha finanziato grandi restauri dal Libano all’India, «ma in questo scenario è tutto più difficile: tre missioni segrete sotto le bombe, nove persone e la paura d’essere sequestrati, abbiamo messo d’accordo governo siriano e opposizioni, autorità religiose e civili. La nostra forza è non schierarci per nessuno».
Si vorrebbe partire a fine anno. L’Aga Khan ha inviato in Siria il suo direttore generale, Luis Monreal, a garantire che «noi operiamo ovunque per conservare l’eredità culturale e stimolare lo sviluppo economico. Vogliamo solo che la vita torni a pulsare ad Aleppo». Metà delle pietre originali è stata recuperata, poi si ricorrerà alla cava che servì a un restauro di tre secoli fa. Inventario dei danni, rilievi coi droni, fotogrammetrie 3D, disegni in scala e mappature. Gli ebanisti sono stati ingaggiati in India e Pakistan, tre ingegneri (uno italiano) al lavoro con trenta colleghi siriani per organizzare il cantiere. C’è l’ok d’Irene Bokova, direttore generale Unesco, si cerca l’appoggio del ministro Franceschini. Perché a un certo punto si sono fatti avanti gl’inglesi, i francesi, i ceceni e soprattutto gli arabi del Golfo. «Ma io sono un italiano e un musulmano laico», dice Khawatmi, che anni fa salvò dal crac la Dante Alighieri e oggi è nel consiglio dell’Aga Khan Museum di Toronto, straordinaria collezione d’arte islamica: «Ho convinto Sua Altezza di quanto sia importante l’italianità di questo restauro», saranno coinvolti Politecnico di Milano e Università delle Marche. «Abbiamo presentato i rilievi a un convegno a Vienna — dice il professor Gabriele Fangi —, siamo i migliori al mondo in queste cose. Speriamo di riuscire a partire nei tempi previsti. Le difficoltà maggiori? Trovare la manodopera locale, perché i siriani sono in gran parte a combattere o all’estero». Radwan, il siriano d’Italia, ha moglie di Parma e un tricolore dietro la scrivania, è stato premiato miglior imprenditore straniero nel nostro Paese, crede così tanto nel dialogo da aver cercato di coinvolgere nelle sue iniziative perfino la Lega: «Mi danno sempre del sognatore. Anche stavolta. Invece nei sogni bisogna credere. L’Aga Khan vuole dare il messaggio che è iniziata la ricostruzione d’un Paese. È il nome che abbiamo dato a questo progetto: la speranza della Siria».
13 settembre 2017 (modifica il 13 settembre 2017 | 21:23)
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
-------------------
Google Translation:
The Aga Khan and the Italian project
to rebuild the Aleppo mosque
A ten-million-euro plan. Two Italian universities will be involved. "Hope for all Syria"
by Francesco Battistini [/ b]
Where was he, how was he. In his hands, a white plastic model of the Aleppo Minaret, Dr. Radwan Khawatmi reminds him with the nostalgia of childhood games: "I was born a few meters from there. I was a child and always felt muezzin. I went to school and stopped drinking the mosque water. Some warm afternoons, I rested in the shadow of that wall. " Radwan's memories died on April 24, 2013: "When they destroyed the minaret and most of the mosque, I felt destroyed, too. I've been living in Italy for nearly 50 years now, but if I go to Syria, Italian speaking with the accent of Aleppo. That day I called His Highness and I said, we have to do something ... " That said and done. His Highness Shah Karim al-Husaini, Aga Khan IV, descendant of the Prophet and spiritual leader of 27 million Ismaili Shiites around the world, an inventor of the Emerald Coast and a philanthropist who has led schools into the deserted valleys of Afghanistan, will reconstruct Aleppo. Beginning with the tower pulled up after the thousandth year, and fell in a few minutes, then go to the ancient mosque of the Omayyadi, at the bazaar, at the Citadel. "Priority will have the minaret. Because it is symbolic, in a city of 4 million inhabitants. It is the dome of St. Peter for Rome. It is the bell tower of San Marco in Venice: to redo where it was, how it was. "
If your neighbor hates you, says an Arab proverb, move the door to your home. In the alley of the thousands of faiths, the lower East Gate is only in Istanbul and Cairo, a caravan of Muslims and Christians and Jews, "Middle East Paris" where Agatha Christie wrote "Assassination on the Oriente Express", one of the most ancient cities of the world enriched by Hittites and Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians, Roman and Abbasidos, Byzantines and Mamlelots, Ottomans and French, In these years of war the UNESCO Great Mosque has been found 200 meters from the first line and hate among the neighbors made the door of hell: it destroyed the perimeter walls, collapsed the 49 meters of the minaret, plundered the rubble, disappeared the millennial dome of muezzin, splashed the mosaics and burnt it. "In January," says Khawatmi, "at our first inspection I was crying. The designers have told us that only for the minaret will take four years of work: we have insisted on doing so in two, cost whatsoever. " About ten million. And it will not be like drawing a white plastic model: Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Aktc) has funded major renovations from Lebanon to India, "but in this scenario it's all the more difficult: three secret missions under bombs, nine people and the fear of being seized, we have agreed Syrian government and opposition, religious and civil authorities. Our strength is not to deploy for anyone. "
You would like to start at the end of the year. Aga Khan has sent to Syria its chief executive, Luis Monreal, to ensure that "we operate everywhere to preserve the cultural heritage and stimulate economic development. We just want life to go back to Aleppo. " Half of the original stones have been recovered, then they will use the quarry that served a restoration three centuries ago. Damage Inventory, dive surveys, 3D photogrammetries, scale drawings and mappings. The hobbyists were hired in India and Pakistan, three engineers (one Italian) working with thirty Syrian colleagues to organize the yard. There is the ok of Irene Bokova, General Director of Unesco, seeking support from Minister Franceschini. Because at some point the English, the French, the Chechens, and especially the Arabs of the Gulf were made. "But I am an Italian and a lay Muslim," says Khawatmi, who saved the Dante Alighieri from the crac of years ago and today is in the council of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, an extraordinary Islamic art collection: "I have convinced His Highness how important is the Italianity of this restoration ", will be involved in the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Marche. "We have presented the findings at a conference in Vienna," says Professor Gabriele Fangi, "we are the best in the world in these things. We hope to be able to get started within the timescale. The biggest difficulties? Find local labor, because the Syrians are mostly fighting either abroad or abroad. " Radwan, the Syrian of Italy, has Parma's wife and a tricolor behind the desk, has been awarded the best foreign entrepreneur in our country, he believes so much in the dialogue that he has tried to involve in his initiatives even the League: "I always give the dreamer. Even this time. Instead, in dreams you have to believe. The Aga Khan wants to give the message that a country's reconstruction has begun. This is the name we gave to this project
Google Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite Translator
]The Aga Khan and the Italian project
to rebuild the Aleppo mosque
A ten-million-euro plan. Two Italian universities will be involved. "Hope for all Syria"
by Francesco Battistini
For Google Translation see below the original Italian text.
http://www.corriere.it/esteri/17_settem ... resh_ce-cp
L’Aga Khan e il progetto italiano
per ricostruire la moschea di Aleppo
Un piano da dieci milioni di euro. Saranno coinvolte due università italiane. «Speranza per tutta la Siria»
di Francesco Battistini
Dov’era, com’era. Fra le mani un modellino in plastica bianca del minareto di Aleppo, il dottor Radwan Khawatmi lo rigira con la nostalgia dei giochi d’infanzia: «Io sono nato a pochi metri da lì. Ero bambino e sentivo sempre il muezzin. Andavo a scuola e mi fermavo a bere l’acqua della moschea. Certi pomeriggi caldi, mi riposavo all’ombra di quel muro». I ricordi di Radwan sono morti il 24 aprile 2013: «Quando hanno distrutto il minareto e quasi tutta la moschea, mi sono sentito distrutto anch’io: ormai vivo in Italia da quasi 50 anni, ma se vado in Siria mi chiamano ancora l’italiano che parla con l’accento d’Aleppo. Quel giorno ho chiamato Sua Altezza e ho detto: dobbiamo fare qualcosa...». Detto e fatto. Sua Altezza Shah Karim al-Husaini, l’Aga Khan IV, discendente del Profeta e capo spirituale di 27 milioni di sciiti ismailiti sparsi nel mondo, inventore della Costa Smeralda e filantropo che ha portato le scuole nelle sperdute valli afgane, sarà lui a ricostruire Aleppo. A cominciare dalla torre tirata su dopo l’anno Mille, e abbattuta in pochi minuti, per poi passare all’antica moschea degli Omayyadi, al bazar, alla Cittadella. «La precedenza l’avrà il minareto. Perché è simbolico, in una città di 4 milioni d’abitanti. È la cupola di San Pietro per Roma. È il campanile di San Marco a Venezia: da rifare dov’era, com’era».
Se il tuo vicino ti odia, dice un proverbio arabo, sposta la porta della tua casa. Nell’Aleppo delle mille fedi, porta d’Oriente inferiore solo a Istanbul e al Cairo, tappa carovaniera di musulmani e cristiani ed ebrei, «la Parigi del Medio Oriente» dove Agatha Christie scrisse «Assassinio sull’Orient Express», una delle più antiche città del mondo arricchita da ittiti e assiri, babilonesi e persiani, romani e abbasidi, bizantini e mamelucchi, ottomani e francesi, in questi anni di guerra la Grande Moschea patrimonio dell’Unesco s’è trovata a 200 metri dalla prima linea e l’odio fra i vicini ne ha fatto la porta dell’inferno: distrutte le mura perimetrali, crollati i 49 metri del minareto, saccheggiate le macerie, sparita la millenaria cupola di legno del muezzin, polverizzati i mosaici e bruciati gl’intagli. «In gennaio — dice Khawatmi —, al nostro primo sopralluogo, mi ha pianto il cuore. I progettisti ci hanno detto che solo per il minareto ci vorranno quattro anni di lavoro: noi abbiamo insistito per farlo in due, costi quel che costi». Una decina di milioni. E non sarà come disegnare il modellino di plastica bianca: l’Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Aktc) ha finanziato grandi restauri dal Libano all’India, «ma in questo scenario è tutto più difficile: tre missioni segrete sotto le bombe, nove persone e la paura d’essere sequestrati, abbiamo messo d’accordo governo siriano e opposizioni, autorità religiose e civili. La nostra forza è non schierarci per nessuno».
Si vorrebbe partire a fine anno. L’Aga Khan ha inviato in Siria il suo direttore generale, Luis Monreal, a garantire che «noi operiamo ovunque per conservare l’eredità culturale e stimolare lo sviluppo economico. Vogliamo solo che la vita torni a pulsare ad Aleppo». Metà delle pietre originali è stata recuperata, poi si ricorrerà alla cava che servì a un restauro di tre secoli fa. Inventario dei danni, rilievi coi droni, fotogrammetrie 3D, disegni in scala e mappature. Gli ebanisti sono stati ingaggiati in India e Pakistan, tre ingegneri (uno italiano) al lavoro con trenta colleghi siriani per organizzare il cantiere. C’è l’ok d’Irene Bokova, direttore generale Unesco, si cerca l’appoggio del ministro Franceschini. Perché a un certo punto si sono fatti avanti gl’inglesi, i francesi, i ceceni e soprattutto gli arabi del Golfo. «Ma io sono un italiano e un musulmano laico», dice Khawatmi, che anni fa salvò dal crac la Dante Alighieri e oggi è nel consiglio dell’Aga Khan Museum di Toronto, straordinaria collezione d’arte islamica: «Ho convinto Sua Altezza di quanto sia importante l’italianità di questo restauro», saranno coinvolti Politecnico di Milano e Università delle Marche. «Abbiamo presentato i rilievi a un convegno a Vienna — dice il professor Gabriele Fangi —, siamo i migliori al mondo in queste cose. Speriamo di riuscire a partire nei tempi previsti. Le difficoltà maggiori? Trovare la manodopera locale, perché i siriani sono in gran parte a combattere o all’estero». Radwan, il siriano d’Italia, ha moglie di Parma e un tricolore dietro la scrivania, è stato premiato miglior imprenditore straniero nel nostro Paese, crede così tanto nel dialogo da aver cercato di coinvolgere nelle sue iniziative perfino la Lega: «Mi danno sempre del sognatore. Anche stavolta. Invece nei sogni bisogna credere. L’Aga Khan vuole dare il messaggio che è iniziata la ricostruzione d’un Paese. È il nome che abbiamo dato a questo progetto: la speranza della Siria».
13 settembre 2017 (modifica il 13 settembre 2017 | 21:23)
© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA
-------------------
Google Translation:
The Aga Khan and the Italian project
to rebuild the Aleppo mosque
A ten-million-euro plan. Two Italian universities will be involved. "Hope for all Syria"
by Francesco Battistini [/ b]
Where was he, how was he. In his hands, a white plastic model of the Aleppo Minaret, Dr. Radwan Khawatmi reminds him with the nostalgia of childhood games: "I was born a few meters from there. I was a child and always felt muezzin. I went to school and stopped drinking the mosque water. Some warm afternoons, I rested in the shadow of that wall. " Radwan's memories died on April 24, 2013: "When they destroyed the minaret and most of the mosque, I felt destroyed, too. I've been living in Italy for nearly 50 years now, but if I go to Syria, Italian speaking with the accent of Aleppo. That day I called His Highness and I said, we have to do something ... " That said and done. His Highness Shah Karim al-Husaini, Aga Khan IV, descendant of the Prophet and spiritual leader of 27 million Ismaili Shiites around the world, an inventor of the Emerald Coast and a philanthropist who has led schools into the deserted valleys of Afghanistan, will reconstruct Aleppo. Beginning with the tower pulled up after the thousandth year, and fell in a few minutes, then go to the ancient mosque of the Omayyadi, at the bazaar, at the Citadel. "Priority will have the minaret. Because it is symbolic, in a city of 4 million inhabitants. It is the dome of St. Peter for Rome. It is the bell tower of San Marco in Venice: to redo where it was, how it was. "
If your neighbor hates you, says an Arab proverb, move the door to your home. In the alley of the thousands of faiths, the lower East Gate is only in Istanbul and Cairo, a caravan of Muslims and Christians and Jews, "Middle East Paris" where Agatha Christie wrote "Assassination on the Oriente Express", one of the most ancient cities of the world enriched by Hittites and Assyrians, Babylonians and Persians, Roman and Abbasidos, Byzantines and Mamlelots, Ottomans and French, In these years of war the UNESCO Great Mosque has been found 200 meters from the first line and hate among the neighbors made the door of hell: it destroyed the perimeter walls, collapsed the 49 meters of the minaret, plundered the rubble, disappeared the millennial dome of muezzin, splashed the mosaics and burnt it. "In January," says Khawatmi, "at our first inspection I was crying. The designers have told us that only for the minaret will take four years of work: we have insisted on doing so in two, cost whatsoever. " About ten million. And it will not be like drawing a white plastic model: Aga Khan Trust for Culture (Aktc) has funded major renovations from Lebanon to India, "but in this scenario it's all the more difficult: three secret missions under bombs, nine people and the fear of being seized, we have agreed Syrian government and opposition, religious and civil authorities. Our strength is not to deploy for anyone. "
You would like to start at the end of the year. Aga Khan has sent to Syria its chief executive, Luis Monreal, to ensure that "we operate everywhere to preserve the cultural heritage and stimulate economic development. We just want life to go back to Aleppo. " Half of the original stones have been recovered, then they will use the quarry that served a restoration three centuries ago. Damage Inventory, dive surveys, 3D photogrammetries, scale drawings and mappings. The hobbyists were hired in India and Pakistan, three engineers (one Italian) working with thirty Syrian colleagues to organize the yard. There is the ok of Irene Bokova, General Director of Unesco, seeking support from Minister Franceschini. Because at some point the English, the French, the Chechens, and especially the Arabs of the Gulf were made. "But I am an Italian and a lay Muslim," says Khawatmi, who saved the Dante Alighieri from the crac of years ago and today is in the council of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, an extraordinary Islamic art collection: "I have convinced His Highness how important is the Italianity of this restoration ", will be involved in the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Marche. "We have presented the findings at a conference in Vienna," says Professor Gabriele Fangi, "we are the best in the world in these things. We hope to be able to get started within the timescale. The biggest difficulties? Find local labor, because the Syrians are mostly fighting either abroad or abroad. " Radwan, the Syrian of Italy, has Parma's wife and a tricolor behind the desk, has been awarded the best foreign entrepreneur in our country, he believes so much in the dialogue that he has tried to involve in his initiatives even the League: "I always give the dreamer. Even this time. Instead, in dreams you have to believe. The Aga Khan wants to give the message that a country's reconstruction has begun. This is the name we gave to this project
Google Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite Translator
Reconstructing Aleppo
The hidden power of investors
Excerpt:
Fansa: We are in contact with other organisations active in Syria and are attempting to pursue our goals together. At present, we are co-operating with the Aga Khan Foundation, which has never abandoned its ties to Syria and which has also invested time and money in the old city of Aleppo. But even here, we are talking about only around ten per cent of what should be restored. This is why I am pleading for the assistance of German civil organisations and association, should Germany chose not to officially engage in the reconstruction of Aleppo through the GIZ or other organisations. At present, reconstruction efforts lack necessary funding. And it is exactly at this moment that investors from various countries have appeared and they have absolutely no understanding of monument preservation.
https://en.qantara.de/content/reconstru ... -investors
The hidden power of investors
Excerpt:
Fansa: We are in contact with other organisations active in Syria and are attempting to pursue our goals together. At present, we are co-operating with the Aga Khan Foundation, which has never abandoned its ties to Syria and which has also invested time and money in the old city of Aleppo. But even here, we are talking about only around ten per cent of what should be restored. This is why I am pleading for the assistance of German civil organisations and association, should Germany chose not to officially engage in the reconstruction of Aleppo through the GIZ or other organisations. At present, reconstruction efforts lack necessary funding. And it is exactly at this moment that investors from various countries have appeared and they have absolutely no understanding of monument preservation.
https://en.qantara.de/content/reconstru ... -investors
Aleppo souq and Umayyad mosque reconstruction begins
Funded by Aga Khan Foundation, presentation in Palermo 2/3
PALERMO - While the war continues in Syria, with regime bombing on besieged Eastern Ghouta and clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdish YPG in the north, reconstruction has begun in Aleppo. A group of Italian engineers and experts have been transferred to the Syrian city to work with locals and teach them the necessary skills to restore the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the souq, minaret and Umayyad mosque.
The project is funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, part of the Aga Khan network created to revitalize developing countries and working mainly in Africa and Asia. On March 2, the project will be presented to the world by Radwan Khawatmi, a member of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture board, in Palermo.
By his side will be mayor Leoluca Orlando and culture councillor Andrea Cusumano. The preview will help valorize the project for Palermo Capital of Culture 2018.
The method for the project implementation will be detailed during the presentation, models will be show and a documentary video will be screened with footage filmed by a drone over the ruins of the city. The restoration has begun and an attempt is being made to use the original materials as much as possible, putting the stones salvaged back where they were before the war. (ANSAmed).
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news ... ?idPhoto=1
Funded by Aga Khan Foundation, presentation in Palermo 2/3
PALERMO - While the war continues in Syria, with regime bombing on besieged Eastern Ghouta and clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdish YPG in the north, reconstruction has begun in Aleppo. A group of Italian engineers and experts have been transferred to the Syrian city to work with locals and teach them the necessary skills to restore the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the souq, minaret and Umayyad mosque.
The project is funded by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, part of the Aga Khan network created to revitalize developing countries and working mainly in Africa and Asia. On March 2, the project will be presented to the world by Radwan Khawatmi, a member of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture board, in Palermo.
By his side will be mayor Leoluca Orlando and culture councillor Andrea Cusumano. The preview will help valorize the project for Palermo Capital of Culture 2018.
The method for the project implementation will be detailed during the presentation, models will be show and a documentary video will be screened with footage filmed by a drone over the ruins of the city. The restoration has begun and an attempt is being made to use the original materials as much as possible, putting the stones salvaged back where they were before the war. (ANSAmed).
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news ... ?idPhoto=1
Aleppo's reconstruction 'deserves international resources'
Aga Khan Trust for Culture calls for condemnation of destruction to be reinforced by help on the ground
Experts from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) are calling on the international heritage community to support the reconstruction of the Old City of Aleppo as an “urgent humanitarian need”. Seven years into Syria’s civil war and with wide-ranging sanctions against Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, the Geneva-based organisation is leading pilot conservation projects in the 364-hectare Unesco World Heritage Site, which was a battleground from 2012 to 2016. The trust is also working on a five-year masterplan, an advisory document for the Syrian authorities, which champions conserving cultural heritage as a catalyst for Aleppo’s social and economic recovery.
More...
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/gl ... ild-aleppo
Aga Khan Trust for Culture calls for condemnation of destruction to be reinforced by help on the ground
Experts from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) are calling on the international heritage community to support the reconstruction of the Old City of Aleppo as an “urgent humanitarian need”. Seven years into Syria’s civil war and with wide-ranging sanctions against Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, the Geneva-based organisation is leading pilot conservation projects in the 364-hectare Unesco World Heritage Site, which was a battleground from 2012 to 2016. The trust is also working on a five-year masterplan, an advisory document for the Syrian authorities, which champions conserving cultural heritage as a catalyst for Aleppo’s social and economic recovery.
More...
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/gl ... ild-aleppo
https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/mbyx ... ed-by-isis
How Syrians Are Rebuilding the Monuments Destroyed By ISIS
A French restoration company is working with locals to restore their most important cultural artefacts.
This article originally appeared on VICE France.
In the summer of 2015, a satellite flew above the Syrian city of Palmyra, where ISIS was wreaking terror. A few hours later, in their Geneva offices, experts from the United Nations agency UNITAR (Institute for Training and Research) inspected the images captured by the satellite. They zoomed in on the south of the ancient city, a former commercial crossroads between the east and the west, where the central building of the Temple of Bel – a former World Heritage Site – should have been. The experts could only make out rubble, and the building's door, somehow still standing.
Two years later, in July of 2017, Aurélien Peyroux – a geometric engineer employed by the small French architecture company Art Graphique & Patrimoine (AGP) – was standing by the door of this temple, the biggest in Palmyra, after it had been freed from ISIS control. Its gilded limestone frame leaned precariously, threatening to collapse among the ruins. Flanked by a group of Syrian soldiers for security, and armed with a laser scanner, Peyroux watched where he stepped; it's not uncommon for ISIS to line their old strongholds with landmines.
Amid the sound of far-off explosions punctuated by gunfire, Peyroux inspected the door from all angles to figure out how to save it from certain collapse.
The Temple of Bel is just one in a long list of Syrian monuments – such as the Souk of Aleppo and the Krak des Chevaliers – that have been hit hard by the civil war. Ever since ISIS lost control of much of its territory, a handful of French people – stonecutters, engineers and specialty architects – have been traveling the country, working with Syrians to help salvage these damaged historical artefacts.
"Our job is like doing an MRI, but on a building," says AGP boss Gaël Hamon, who began his career as a stonecutter. "Thanks to the data, we can see that the Temple of Bel's door is leaning and no longer very stable, for a number of reasons," Peyroux tells me, adding that this data – without which, it would be impossible to know how to stabilise and strengthen the monuments – is then passed along to Syrian architects.
While AGP and its employees are used to operating in tough environments – Afghanistan, Somaliland, Madagascar – working in a still-active war zone comes with its own set of surprises.
"When we were surveying the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, my colleague noticed there was a undetonated explosive still encased in a wall," Peyroux recalls. "It's a whole different ball game from a work site in France – you have to be careful when you're scanning for super-precise images in a war zone. For example, if we were to accidentally scan a Russian tank passing by, that might cause some problems."
François Braud is currently training Syrians in stone-cutting. Since he first arrived in the country two years ago, he has had to adapt to some peculiar work conditions. "On my first trip to Aleppo in 2017, the bombings were happening on a regular basis," he explains. "Things were blowing up a few hundred meters from me, as armed guys were running after each other in the Ancient City. But Syrians have experienced much worse. It's inspiring to see how they try to carry on with their lives."
The Souk of Aleppo, a jumble of covered markets in the Ancient City, had welcomed merchants and traders since the 14th century, until the war destroyed many of its stalls. AGP was called to the scene in 2017 to scan part of it. Afterwards, Braud started his training sessions so as many locals as possible could have the tools needed to revive the souks while still respecting its architectural heritage.
"The Ancient City isn't an empty historical site," says Ali Esmaiel, the Syria representative of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which has sent AGP and Braud on various restoration missions. "The souk plays a key role in Aleppo's economic activity. Reviving it is part of a bigger plan to restore the Ancient City, with the people of Aleppo at its heart."
Rehabilitating historic monuments like the souk isn't just a matter of reconstructing the past; it's also a matter of preparing for the future – as long as it keeps to the region's traditions.
"You might compare the current situation in Aleppo to the one in Beirut after the war," Braud adds. "In Beirut, the restoration caused more damage than the conflict itself – even to historic buildings. Now we're kind of seeing the same thing in Aleppo."
In fact, the Syrian government is threatening to confiscate the goods of shop owners who haven't returned to the city. The government has also been paying people to repaint the walls, but the quality of the work often isn't great. Braud explains that AGP won't intervene to stop work that's being done, regardless of the damage, but they take photos for their records and offer to come back later to advise.
The goal, they say, is in no way to stop Syrians from taking the lead in restoring their own artefacts – rather, it's to give them the best possible tools to decide for themselves how to go about it. "This country will be rebuilt for those who live in it," says a French architect who asked to remain anonymous, but has lived in Syria since the 1980s and is a consultant for the Aga Khan Trust. It's with this architect that Braud is pursuing his initiative to train as many locals as possible in stone-cutting – a project of particular importance in Aleppo, a city constructed of 80 percent cut stone and located directly atop a limestone base.
Aside from the souks, Braud and the architect are also implementing measures to restore Aleppo's citadel, where work is already underway, led by some of the Syrian architects working with Braud.
However, there still remains a lack of coordination between the various people involved. Unsurprisingly, restoring Syria's cultural history has become a political issue. "It's still a war zone with multiple stakeholders, each trying to turn things to their own advantage," says Braud. "Politically, it's complicated, and since a solution hasn't been found in Syria, it's going to stay complicated."
This stance is shared by the Aga Khan Trust, which views the restoration as not merely an individual or national challenge, but also an international necessity, since a number of the monuments concerned are classified as World Heritage Sites.
"These monuments have seen plenty of political regimes come and go," Gaël Hamon tells me. "For us, it’s the monuments and the culture they carry that's important. These monuments need us – and whatever happens, we'll keep working for them."
How Syrians Are Rebuilding the Monuments Destroyed By ISIS
A French restoration company is working with locals to restore their most important cultural artefacts.
This article originally appeared on VICE France.
In the summer of 2015, a satellite flew above the Syrian city of Palmyra, where ISIS was wreaking terror. A few hours later, in their Geneva offices, experts from the United Nations agency UNITAR (Institute for Training and Research) inspected the images captured by the satellite. They zoomed in on the south of the ancient city, a former commercial crossroads between the east and the west, where the central building of the Temple of Bel – a former World Heritage Site – should have been. The experts could only make out rubble, and the building's door, somehow still standing.
Two years later, in July of 2017, Aurélien Peyroux – a geometric engineer employed by the small French architecture company Art Graphique & Patrimoine (AGP) – was standing by the door of this temple, the biggest in Palmyra, after it had been freed from ISIS control. Its gilded limestone frame leaned precariously, threatening to collapse among the ruins. Flanked by a group of Syrian soldiers for security, and armed with a laser scanner, Peyroux watched where he stepped; it's not uncommon for ISIS to line their old strongholds with landmines.
Amid the sound of far-off explosions punctuated by gunfire, Peyroux inspected the door from all angles to figure out how to save it from certain collapse.
The Temple of Bel is just one in a long list of Syrian monuments – such as the Souk of Aleppo and the Krak des Chevaliers – that have been hit hard by the civil war. Ever since ISIS lost control of much of its territory, a handful of French people – stonecutters, engineers and specialty architects – have been traveling the country, working with Syrians to help salvage these damaged historical artefacts.
"Our job is like doing an MRI, but on a building," says AGP boss Gaël Hamon, who began his career as a stonecutter. "Thanks to the data, we can see that the Temple of Bel's door is leaning and no longer very stable, for a number of reasons," Peyroux tells me, adding that this data – without which, it would be impossible to know how to stabilise and strengthen the monuments – is then passed along to Syrian architects.
While AGP and its employees are used to operating in tough environments – Afghanistan, Somaliland, Madagascar – working in a still-active war zone comes with its own set of surprises.
"When we were surveying the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, my colleague noticed there was a undetonated explosive still encased in a wall," Peyroux recalls. "It's a whole different ball game from a work site in France – you have to be careful when you're scanning for super-precise images in a war zone. For example, if we were to accidentally scan a Russian tank passing by, that might cause some problems."
François Braud is currently training Syrians in stone-cutting. Since he first arrived in the country two years ago, he has had to adapt to some peculiar work conditions. "On my first trip to Aleppo in 2017, the bombings were happening on a regular basis," he explains. "Things were blowing up a few hundred meters from me, as armed guys were running after each other in the Ancient City. But Syrians have experienced much worse. It's inspiring to see how they try to carry on with their lives."
The Souk of Aleppo, a jumble of covered markets in the Ancient City, had welcomed merchants and traders since the 14th century, until the war destroyed many of its stalls. AGP was called to the scene in 2017 to scan part of it. Afterwards, Braud started his training sessions so as many locals as possible could have the tools needed to revive the souks while still respecting its architectural heritage.
"The Ancient City isn't an empty historical site," says Ali Esmaiel, the Syria representative of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which has sent AGP and Braud on various restoration missions. "The souk plays a key role in Aleppo's economic activity. Reviving it is part of a bigger plan to restore the Ancient City, with the people of Aleppo at its heart."
Rehabilitating historic monuments like the souk isn't just a matter of reconstructing the past; it's also a matter of preparing for the future – as long as it keeps to the region's traditions.
"You might compare the current situation in Aleppo to the one in Beirut after the war," Braud adds. "In Beirut, the restoration caused more damage than the conflict itself – even to historic buildings. Now we're kind of seeing the same thing in Aleppo."
In fact, the Syrian government is threatening to confiscate the goods of shop owners who haven't returned to the city. The government has also been paying people to repaint the walls, but the quality of the work often isn't great. Braud explains that AGP won't intervene to stop work that's being done, regardless of the damage, but they take photos for their records and offer to come back later to advise.
The goal, they say, is in no way to stop Syrians from taking the lead in restoring their own artefacts – rather, it's to give them the best possible tools to decide for themselves how to go about it. "This country will be rebuilt for those who live in it," says a French architect who asked to remain anonymous, but has lived in Syria since the 1980s and is a consultant for the Aga Khan Trust. It's with this architect that Braud is pursuing his initiative to train as many locals as possible in stone-cutting – a project of particular importance in Aleppo, a city constructed of 80 percent cut stone and located directly atop a limestone base.
Aside from the souks, Braud and the architect are also implementing measures to restore Aleppo's citadel, where work is already underway, led by some of the Syrian architects working with Braud.
However, there still remains a lack of coordination between the various people involved. Unsurprisingly, restoring Syria's cultural history has become a political issue. "It's still a war zone with multiple stakeholders, each trying to turn things to their own advantage," says Braud. "Politically, it's complicated, and since a solution hasn't been found in Syria, it's going to stay complicated."
This stance is shared by the Aga Khan Trust, which views the restoration as not merely an individual or national challenge, but also an international necessity, since a number of the monuments concerned are classified as World Heritage Sites.
"These monuments have seen plenty of political regimes come and go," Gaël Hamon tells me. "For us, it’s the monuments and the culture they carry that's important. These monuments need us – and whatever happens, we'll keep working for them."
Syria’s ancient Aleppo souk poised to regain its bustle
Restoration work began in November and is expected to be completed by July
Excerpt:
Restoration works began on November 1 after Syrian authorities signed a partnership agreement with the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria.
Renovations are expected to be completed in July, according to Al Daher.
Workers are focusing on erasing all “signs of war” from the market and correct old construction violations.
“The broader aim is to bring merchants back to their shops,” he says.
Saqatiya market is one of around 37 souks surrounding the Aleppo citadel, the oldest of their kind in the world.
Photos and more...
https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/syrias- ... 1.62586381
Restoration work began in November and is expected to be completed by July
Excerpt:
Restoration works began on November 1 after Syrian authorities signed a partnership agreement with the Aga Khan Foundation in Syria.
Renovations are expected to be completed in July, according to Al Daher.
Workers are focusing on erasing all “signs of war” from the market and correct old construction violations.
“The broader aim is to bring merchants back to their shops,” he says.
Saqatiya market is one of around 37 souks surrounding the Aleppo citadel, the oldest of their kind in the world.
Photos and more...
https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/syrias- ... 1.62586381
Centuries-old bazaar in Syria’s Aleppo making slow recovery
Bit by bit, Aleppo’s centuries-old bazaar is being rebuilt as Syrians try to restore one of their historical crown jewels, devastated during years of brutal fighting for control of the city.
The historic Old City at the center of Aleppo saw some of the worst battles of Syria’s eight-year civil war. Government forces finally wrested it away from rebel control in December 2016 in a devastating siege that left the eastern half of Aleppo and much of the Old City — a UNESCO world heritage site — in ruins.
The bazaar, a network of covered markets, or souks, dating as far back as the 1300s and running through the Old City, was severely damaged, nearly a third of it completely destroyed. Most of it remains that way: blasted domes, mangled metal and shops without walls or roofs.
But planners are hoping that by rebuilding segments of the bazaar and getting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets. Before the war, the historic location drew in Syrians and tourists, shopping for food, spices, cloth, soap made from olive oil and other handicrafts.
The latest to be renovated is al-Saqatiyah Market, a cobblestone alley covered with arches and domes dotted with openings to let in shafts of sunlight. Along it are 53 shops, mostly butchers and shops selling nuts and dried goods. This souk had seen relatively less damage, and the $400,000 renovation took around eight months, with funding from the Aga Khan Foundation.
Photos and more...
https://www.apnews.com/71578382fb274bc88a7e78f9d1f2f7c0
Bit by bit, Aleppo’s centuries-old bazaar is being rebuilt as Syrians try to restore one of their historical crown jewels, devastated during years of brutal fighting for control of the city.
The historic Old City at the center of Aleppo saw some of the worst battles of Syria’s eight-year civil war. Government forces finally wrested it away from rebel control in December 2016 in a devastating siege that left the eastern half of Aleppo and much of the Old City — a UNESCO world heritage site — in ruins.
The bazaar, a network of covered markets, or souks, dating as far back as the 1300s and running through the Old City, was severely damaged, nearly a third of it completely destroyed. Most of it remains that way: blasted domes, mangled metal and shops without walls or roofs.
But planners are hoping that by rebuilding segments of the bazaar and getting some shops back open, eventually they re-inject life into the markets. Before the war, the historic location drew in Syrians and tourists, shopping for food, spices, cloth, soap made from olive oil and other handicrafts.
The latest to be renovated is al-Saqatiyah Market, a cobblestone alley covered with arches and domes dotted with openings to let in shafts of sunlight. Along it are 53 shops, mostly butchers and shops selling nuts and dried goods. This souk had seen relatively less damage, and the $400,000 renovation took around eight months, with funding from the Aga Khan Foundation.
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https://www.apnews.com/71578382fb274bc88a7e78f9d1f2f7c0
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah founded an agriculture institution in Salamiyya
Posted by Nimira Dewji
Salamiyya, in central Syria, served as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismaili activities and the residence of the Imams in the 8th century until 902 CE, at which time Imam al-Mahdi, who was born in Salamiyya in 873, departed for North Africa where he established the Fatimid caliphate in Raqqada (modern-day Tunisia) in 909.
Maqam al-Imam Salamiyya Aga Khan III
Mausoleum known as ‘Maqam al-Imam’ in the centre of Salamiyya believed to contain the tombs of early Imams erected around 1009. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
At the beginning of the 12th century, Hasan Sabbah sent the first da’is from Alamut to Syria. The success of the da’is in Syria was slow due to a variety of issues including the majority Sunni population, and the infertile land where the Nizaris were residing, causing many to migrate to scattered villages in order to earn a living through farming. Furthermore, the invasions by the Templars (a Catholic military) on Ismaili territories forcing them to pay dues, as well as the disputes within the community added to the complexity of issues. In 1162, Imam Hasan ala dhikrihi’l-salam (r.1162-1166) sent Sinan, “one of the most powerful and energetic da’is to be his deputy in Syria” (Mirza, Syrian Ismailism p 22).
A skillful strategist and a master of the art of diplomacy, Sinan promptly ended the internal dissensions and re-organised the da’wa. He played a prominent role in the regional politics of his time in order to safeguard the security and independence of the Nizari Ismailis. In the three decades that he was chief da’i of Syria, Sinan led the Syrian Nizari Ismailis to the peak of power and fame until his death in 1193.
After the fall of Alamut to the Mongols in 1256, the Syrian Ismailis came under Mamluk rule (1250-1517) and subsequently under Ottoman rule (1300-1922).
When Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah succeeded to the Imamat in 1885, the Ismailis of Syria “were living under circumstances that were drastically different from those of other Ismaili communities. Until the second half of the 19th century, the bulk of the Syrian Ismailis acknowledged the Muhammad Shahi line of the Nizari Ismaili Imams” (The Ismailis: An Illustrated History p 224).
Muhammad Shahi and Qasim Shahi Split
Upon the death of Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad around 1310, a dispute over his successor, between his sons Ala al-Din Muhammad and Qasim Shah, split the Nizari Ismaili community. Those who supported Ala al-Din Mu’min Shah came to be known as Muhammad Shahis (or Mu’minis). This line of imams acquired large followings in northern Persia, Central Asia, and Syria. (Daftary, Dictionary of the Ismailis p 139).
But they lost contact with the last Imam of that line in 1796 and failed to locate any of his descendants. At that time, the Ismailis of Syria switched their allegiance to the Qasim Shahi line of Imams, then represented by Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. With the exception of a small group, the Syrian Ismailis recognised Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah as their Imam.
Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. Source: A. Maherali/Ismailimail
“Until the 20th century, the Ismailis of Syria were subjects of the Ottomans [ca. 1299-1924], to whom they paid the relevant taxes and who ultimately controlled relations among the various religious communities…But rivalries between the two main leading Ismaili families, centred at Qadmus and Masyaf, weakened the community…” (The Ismailis An Illustrated History p 224).
masyaf syria AKTC
CItadel of Masyaf. Source: Archnet
In 1843, the amir of Qadmus, Amir Isma’il b. Amir Muhammad, obtained permission from the Ottomans to restore Salamiyya, then in ruins, for the permanent settlement of the Syrian Ismailis. Among the very first settlers were Ismailis who benefited from a general Ottoman policy of the time which granted amnesty to those willing to settle in areas that were rich farmland where the villages had been deserted for several generations. Over time, Salamiyya became an important agricultural centre, cultivating a variety of crops including wheat and legumes.
In a letter sent in 1890, preserved in the archives of the Ismailis Council in Salamiyya, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Shaykh Sulayman al-Hajj as their mukhi, “introducing the Khoja religious terminology into Syria” (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 29, p 41 n 18). Upon his death, Shaykh Ahmad, who reportedly spent a year in Bombay before returning to Syria, was appointed as mukhi. He faced much resistance when he attempted to introduce new teachings and rituals. “However, he is said to have argued that the Imam sought to emphasize the inner spirituality of the rituals” (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 27).
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had sent his son Prince Aly Khan (d.1960) on regular visits to Syria, beginning in 1931, to Salamiyya and Khawabi, where he opened the Muhamadiyya school (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 38). Prince Aly Khan, who was decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1950 for his military service in the Allied Forces, and elected to the UN General Assembly in 1958, played a vital role in the development of the Ismailis of Syria. Prince Aly Khan was eventually buried in a mausoleum next to the jamatkhana in Salamiyya, as per his wishes.
Aly Khan Salamiyya Aga Khan
Mausoleum of Prince Aly Khan. Source: Wikipedia
In 1951, Imam Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III visited Salamiyya, where he founded several schools as well as an agriculture institution. Most of the Ismailis of Syria today are descendants of those who had restored the town in the mid-19th century.
The fortress of Masyaf, the most important stronghold in Syria, was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2004. Visit restoration projects in Syria at Aga Khan Development Network.
Sources:
Dick Douwes, “Modern History of the Nizari Ismailis of Syria,” A Modern History of the Ismailis Ed. Farhad Daftary, I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2007
Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis: An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions, 2008
Nasseh Ahmad Mirza, Syrian Ismailism, The Ever Living Line of Imamate, Curzon Press, Surrey, 1997
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/imam-sultan-muhammad-shah-founded-an-agriculture-institution-in-salamiyya/
Posted by Nimira Dewji
Salamiyya, in central Syria, served as the headquarters of the Nizari Ismaili activities and the residence of the Imams in the 8th century until 902 CE, at which time Imam al-Mahdi, who was born in Salamiyya in 873, departed for North Africa where he established the Fatimid caliphate in Raqqada (modern-day Tunisia) in 909.
Maqam al-Imam Salamiyya Aga Khan III
Mausoleum known as ‘Maqam al-Imam’ in the centre of Salamiyya believed to contain the tombs of early Imams erected around 1009. Source: The Ismailis An Illustrated History
At the beginning of the 12th century, Hasan Sabbah sent the first da’is from Alamut to Syria. The success of the da’is in Syria was slow due to a variety of issues including the majority Sunni population, and the infertile land where the Nizaris were residing, causing many to migrate to scattered villages in order to earn a living through farming. Furthermore, the invasions by the Templars (a Catholic military) on Ismaili territories forcing them to pay dues, as well as the disputes within the community added to the complexity of issues. In 1162, Imam Hasan ala dhikrihi’l-salam (r.1162-1166) sent Sinan, “one of the most powerful and energetic da’is to be his deputy in Syria” (Mirza, Syrian Ismailism p 22).
A skillful strategist and a master of the art of diplomacy, Sinan promptly ended the internal dissensions and re-organised the da’wa. He played a prominent role in the regional politics of his time in order to safeguard the security and independence of the Nizari Ismailis. In the three decades that he was chief da’i of Syria, Sinan led the Syrian Nizari Ismailis to the peak of power and fame until his death in 1193.
After the fall of Alamut to the Mongols in 1256, the Syrian Ismailis came under Mamluk rule (1250-1517) and subsequently under Ottoman rule (1300-1922).
When Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah succeeded to the Imamat in 1885, the Ismailis of Syria “were living under circumstances that were drastically different from those of other Ismaili communities. Until the second half of the 19th century, the bulk of the Syrian Ismailis acknowledged the Muhammad Shahi line of the Nizari Ismaili Imams” (The Ismailis: An Illustrated History p 224).
Muhammad Shahi and Qasim Shahi Split
Upon the death of Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad around 1310, a dispute over his successor, between his sons Ala al-Din Muhammad and Qasim Shah, split the Nizari Ismaili community. Those who supported Ala al-Din Mu’min Shah came to be known as Muhammad Shahis (or Mu’minis). This line of imams acquired large followings in northern Persia, Central Asia, and Syria. (Daftary, Dictionary of the Ismailis p 139).
But they lost contact with the last Imam of that line in 1796 and failed to locate any of his descendants. At that time, the Ismailis of Syria switched their allegiance to the Qasim Shahi line of Imams, then represented by Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. With the exception of a small group, the Syrian Ismailis recognised Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah as their Imam.
Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah. Source: A. Maherali/Ismailimail
“Until the 20th century, the Ismailis of Syria were subjects of the Ottomans [ca. 1299-1924], to whom they paid the relevant taxes and who ultimately controlled relations among the various religious communities…But rivalries between the two main leading Ismaili families, centred at Qadmus and Masyaf, weakened the community…” (The Ismailis An Illustrated History p 224).
masyaf syria AKTC
CItadel of Masyaf. Source: Archnet
In 1843, the amir of Qadmus, Amir Isma’il b. Amir Muhammad, obtained permission from the Ottomans to restore Salamiyya, then in ruins, for the permanent settlement of the Syrian Ismailis. Among the very first settlers were Ismailis who benefited from a general Ottoman policy of the time which granted amnesty to those willing to settle in areas that were rich farmland where the villages had been deserted for several generations. Over time, Salamiyya became an important agricultural centre, cultivating a variety of crops including wheat and legumes.
In a letter sent in 1890, preserved in the archives of the Ismailis Council in Salamiyya, Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah appointed Shaykh Sulayman al-Hajj as their mukhi, “introducing the Khoja religious terminology into Syria” (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 29, p 41 n 18). Upon his death, Shaykh Ahmad, who reportedly spent a year in Bombay before returning to Syria, was appointed as mukhi. He faced much resistance when he attempted to introduce new teachings and rituals. “However, he is said to have argued that the Imam sought to emphasize the inner spirituality of the rituals” (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 27).
Imam Sultan Muhammad Shah had sent his son Prince Aly Khan (d.1960) on regular visits to Syria, beginning in 1931, to Salamiyya and Khawabi, where he opened the Muhamadiyya school (Douwes, A Modern History of the Ismailis p 38). Prince Aly Khan, who was decorated with the Legion of Honour in 1950 for his military service in the Allied Forces, and elected to the UN General Assembly in 1958, played a vital role in the development of the Ismailis of Syria. Prince Aly Khan was eventually buried in a mausoleum next to the jamatkhana in Salamiyya, as per his wishes.
Aly Khan Salamiyya Aga Khan
Mausoleum of Prince Aly Khan. Source: Wikipedia
In 1951, Imam Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III visited Salamiyya, where he founded several schools as well as an agriculture institution. Most of the Ismailis of Syria today are descendants of those who had restored the town in the mid-19th century.
The fortress of Masyaf, the most important stronghold in Syria, was restored by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in 2004. Visit restoration projects in Syria at Aga Khan Development Network.
Sources:
Dick Douwes, “Modern History of the Nizari Ismailis of Syria,” A Modern History of the Ismailis Ed. Farhad Daftary, I.B. Tauris in association with The Institute of Ismaili Studies, London, 2007
Farhad Daftary, Zulfikar Hirji, The Ismailis: An Illustrated History, Azimuth Editions, 2008
Nasseh Ahmad Mirza, Syrian Ismailism, The Ever Living Line of Imamate, Curzon Press, Surrey, 1997
nimirasblog.wordpress.com/2019/09/04/imam-sultan-muhammad-shah-founded-an-agriculture-institution-in-salamiyya/
Revitalising the Citadels of Syria
Video:
https://www.akdn.org/video/revitalising-citadels-syria
Syria, August 2008 - From 1999 to 2007, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) undertook conservation work on the citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums. Work focused in three main areas: conservation of the Citadels; training of antiquities staff, local craftsmen and building professionals in modern conservation practice (while the conservation projects were carried out); and development of re-utilisation plans for the Citadels, including management guidelines and investments in visitor infrastructure such as visitor centres, pathways, signage, etc.
Video:
https://www.akdn.org/video/revitalising-citadels-syria
Syria, August 2008 - From 1999 to 2007, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) undertook conservation work on the citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums. Work focused in three main areas: conservation of the Citadels; training of antiquities staff, local craftsmen and building professionals in modern conservation practice (while the conservation projects were carried out); and development of re-utilisation plans for the Citadels, including management guidelines and investments in visitor infrastructure such as visitor centres, pathways, signage, etc.