Curators at Aleppo National Museum Struggle to Protect Ancient Heritage From Civil War’s Destruction
Excerpt: The old city is a unique collection of ancient temples, mosques, churches, bustling souks, caravansaries, traditional homes and narrow alleyways and streets spanning an area of about 1,000 acres. Nearly 240 structures have been classified as historic buildings by the Old City Directorate.
Before the war a German-funded urban renewal plan helped upgrade the infrastructure and many traditional homes, which had been crumbling at the time, while the Aga Khan Development Networkrenovated the medieval citadel that anchors the old city. Tourists flocked in droves, and people like Faisal Kudsi, a Syrian-born British banker who converted two traditional homes into opulent boutique hotels, invested.
“Today all you see are occasional fighters dashing in the alleyways and a terrifying silence sliced by gunfire from time to time,” said the man who surveyed the damage recently.
Source: Wall Street Journal
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