The Daily IIJ

Elsy Melkonian, Syria 

The historical monuments and ancient places of the old part of Aleppo city in Syria have dazzled the eyes of every tourist and visitor for ages. However, a great number of the valuable material, considered as city’s cultural heritage, seemed to be lost in the hands of old inhabitants or transferred abroad via travelers and immigrants alike.

With the aim of collecting all the Aleppian artifacts into one place, a decision was made to establish an archive of the urban development of Aleppo in the Shaibani House- one of the city’s oldest historical sites. This arrangement was made between the Directorate of the Old City (DOC) and the German Development Service (DED) to create an archive in a systemized scientific method.  

DED, one component of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), supports local civic organizations and municipal buildings in upholding and preserving the remaining ruins and historical structures of ancient sites. Therefore, a German specialists came to Aleppo to work with their Syrian counterparts to collect artifacts for the archive which will provide visitors, researchers and students with  primary-source materials that reveal facts about the urban development of Aleppo city.

According to Franziska Laue, an architectural advisor from DED, the Shibani House is a great location for the screening process, as well as a storage house for the archives. The Shibani House has the proper ventilation, lighting, and mild temperatures suited for keeping historical objects conserved. Although, Middle Eastern countries have a known problem when it comes to dust, mud, and insects, the Shibani House seems to be a suitable location to handle such problems.

The initial screening process starts by evaluating the handed items in terms of age, condition, price, and means of restoration. “First, we start looking for photos, paintings, plans, documents, and anything related to the urban life of Aleppo,” states Franziska. “When the originals are not accessible, we try to get the duplicate of the material. Following this, items are arranged into specific folders to warrant best means of storage. The last stage of screening is the process of microfilming and digitally transforming the data so it can be easily accessed by the public.

 ”The idea of establishing an archive is still new to Aleppians. The only thing we could offer in return for people’s contribution is the honor of their family name being remembered, and that’s why some individuals prefer to keep the antique items for their families. Thankfully, we started to get positive contributions from the cultural centers, long established honorary consulates, and some other organizations who own interesting things that would enrich our library,” Laue expresses happily.

The most interesting contribution is from the Stuttgart-based organization under the name of “Friends of Aleppo City”. It was founded 20 years ago by a German archeologists and fellow researchers who visited and worked in Aleppo. To pay-back the hospitality of Aleppians and to integrate the inhabitants with their beautiful and historical city, the organization, which includes 100 Syrian expatriates with other Germans who take interests in the city itself, show a great help to collect the valuable archive.

“Our organization had created a miniature plant of Aleppo city and exhibited this work in Germany first, then in Damascus, and finally in Alshibani House as a permanent exhibition,” explains Anette Gangler, organization’s president . “We are trying our best to built the archive with the objective of integrating the inhabitant’s to their city and make them feel proud of it”.

Being a component of the municipality of Aleppo, the DOC seem to have a greater responsibility to make this project see the light in terms of contacting material owners abroad, the financial side of the project, and spread public awareness amongst inhabitants.

“The key to change is awareness, ” says DOC’s president Ammar Ghazal, “To this end, we are preparing a public awareness campaign through posters and brochures that outline the main benefits of building an archive with a detailed explanation. We are trying our best to retrieve the Aleppian archives that were carried out under the French Mandate to Paris, and under the Ottoman Empire to Istanbul,” he adds.

The question that poses itself is that why the whole archive project is focused on Aleppo, despite the historical value of all Syrian cities? “It’s because the GTZ had started its activity in Aleppo 13 years ago, and when it proved the remarkable success of the projects it conducted, decision was made to start the GTZ activity in Damascus last year,” architect Laue explains, “Same would happen for the archive project. The next step is to relate it to various aspects of Aleppo life,  and I hope we could extend this project to all Syrian cities in the future”.