Excerpt – The deputy manager of the Beit Salahieh hotel in the old city of Aleppo in the north of Syria gestures at the blue and white Iznik tiles in one of the bathrooms. “Only one man makes them, from Hama [a nearby city]” he says, with evident satisfaction.[…]
The Aga Khan Development Network, the development agency that has helped the Syrian government with the conservation and refurbishment of many historic sites in Aleppo, has also implemented an urban renewal programme.
It offers microfinance and training to help inhabitants develop services and products that will enable them to benefit from the tourism industry.
In 2007 the Aga Khan Trust for Culture completed the restoration of sections of the citadel walls, several towers and an Ayyubid palace. During the renovation process, it unearthed and conserved several Ottoman structures including a barracks building that now serves as a visitor’s centre.
The regeneration projects have helped stem the population decline in the old city has stabilised, private sector investment is increasing, and the value of property in some parts of the town is said to have quadrupled.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/16fcafec-4a6f-11e0-82ab-00144feab49a.html#axzz1G8KUMwXG
Ismailimail 