Friday, August 17, 2012

Syria is a two thousand year construction project

Entrance to the Citadel
View of the Citadel entrance from the plaza
The news from Syria is disturbing on all levels. For thoughtful commentary, Jonathan Landis' blog is reliable.  Yesterday, the New York Times Arts section had a piece on the concern conservators have for the survival/destruction of ancient artifacts and places. Buildings go up, buildings are destroyed, buildings await completion: Syrian built environments are in a continuous state of flux.

Courtyard of Abraham's Mosque within the Citadel grounds
 Aleppo and Damascus are two of the oldest continuously occupied cities in the world (Aleppo claims it is; Damascus also makes that claim. They also each claim the greatest population).  Along with the NYT article on the damage to the Citadel in Aleppo, there is also a video of government forces within the Citadel. Compare the images in the video with those here.

 The Citadel is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, meaning it belongs to the people of the world. These are some photos we took of the Citadel in May/June 2010.

View of the bathhouse dome within the Citadel grounds
 The photo on the left shows a bathhouse dome, but not the one seen on below.
The ceiling of the bathhouse dome
View from the Citadel of the grand mosque
The reception room in the Citadel