Destroying Cultural Heritage in Syria - 2011-2017

Conference organized by Abdalrazzaq Moaz (2017-2018 Paris IAS fellow), with the support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation

Presentation

The aim of this conference is to provide a synthesis of the documentation collected and research conducted about the destruction of Cultural Heritage in Syria between 2011-2017. Since 2011, Syrian archaeological heritage has been suffering by bombardment, explosions, looting..  Many articles and photos have been published and disseminated online to document the damage to the Syrian cultural heritage, emphasizing not only the importance that ancient sites and historic buildings have assumed in the history of Syria, but how their protection is crucial to preserve the cultural identity of the Syrian people. This conference aim to offer synthesis of the actions and interpretations that have been undertaken by different bodies and organizations as well individuals towards the tangible cultural heritage from the 2011 until 2017. International acknowledgement of the crisis has been expressed and responses launched through actions such as documenting and updating information involving social media (i.e. Facebook, YouTube, websites, blogs, etc.), and short-term (i.e. petitions, statements, press releases, etc.) and long-term projects (i.e. lectures, exhibitions, workshops, training, etc.). It is necessary to provide a synthesis of these actions not just photos and images, that aim to increase understanding of the reason of these damages, and to cover as much as possible of regions in Syria.

Program

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

14:30 - 14:45   Introduction

14:45 - 16:15   Session  1
Chair / discussant: François Villeneuve (Université Paris 1)

La question archéologique en Syrie
Michel Al-Maqdissi (Musée du Louvre, Paris)

Chronologie de destructions majeures du patrimoine en Syrie 2011-2017
Cheickmous Ali (APSA, Strasbourg)

Syrie...Yémen... : d'une tragédie à l'autre
Mounir Arbach (CNRS, Lyon)

16:15 - 16:30   Break

16:30 - 18:00   Session 2
Chair / discussant: Frank Braemer (CNRS)

Protecting Syria’s heritage: from documentation to reconstruction. An overview of actions 2011-2017
Emma L. Cunliffe (Cultural Property Protection and Peace UK Blue Shield, Newcastle University)

Documenting the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria: A summary results from the ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives
Allison Cuneo (ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives)

A digital archive supporting the Syrian heritage
Karin Pütt (Syrian Heritage Archive Project, Museum für Islamische Kunst- Berlin)

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

9:00 - 9:30   Welcoming

9:30 - 11:00   Session 3
Chair / discussant: Pascal Butterlin (Université Paris 1)

Faut-il reconstruire Palmyre ?
Annie Sartre (Professeur émérite d'histoire ancienne à l'université d'Artois)

La destruction massive du patrimoine archéologique et historique nord-mésopotamien d’Irak et de Syrie
Phlippe Quenet (Université de Strasbourg)

Pillages, destructions et découvertes du patrimoine de Syrie du Sud
Pierre-Marie Blanc (UMR 7041 ArScAN CNRS) & Thibaud Fournet (Institut français du Proche-Orient) & Pauline Piraud-Fournet (Institut français du Proche-Orient)

11:00 - 11:30   Break

11:30 - 13:00   Session 4
Chair / discussant: Dominique Schneider (secrétaire générale - ICOMOS France)

Périls sur le patrimoine urbain
Samir Abdulac (ICOMOS)

Towards a strategy for regaining cultural Identity in the urban reconstruction of the war - ravaged city center of Homs, Syria
Sana Kassouha (Universität Stuttgart)

La rue Al-Jisr à Deir Al-Zor, entre Le plan cadastral français de 1926, et les effets dévastateurs de la guerre actuelle
Lilas Mohammed Ali (Université Paris 1)

13:00 - 14:00   Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:00   Session 5 : Aleppo Panel
Chair / discussant: Samir Abdulac (ICOMOS)

Urban development strategies for heritage sites - Example Aleppo
Annette Gangler (Universität Stuttgart)

The Alepoo Bazar 3D-model project
Anne Mollenhauer (German Archaeological Institute, Berlin)

15:00 - 15:15   Break

15:15 - 16:45   Session 6
Chair / discussant: Manar Hammad (Architect & Archeologist, Paris)

First aid to the Syrian cultural heritage post the conflict
Rim Lababidi (UCL Qatar) [présentation via Skype]

The Destruction of Aleppine Old Houses, al-‘Ajami (Wood Painting): Before and After the Damage based on the Work of Aleppo Built Heritage Documentation Project
Rami Alafandi (Syrian Heritage Archive Project, Museum für Islamische Kunst - Berlin)

Le site de Saint-Syméon (Syrie) entre passé, présent et perspectives
Micheline Kurdy (Labex Resmed-Paris)

16:45 - 17:00   Break

17:00 - 18:30   Special Panel: Syria: war and damages: interpretation and perspectives
Moderator: Francois Burgat (Institut de recherches et d’études sur le monde arabe et musulman - CNRS / Université d’Aix-Marseille

Ziad Majed (American University of Paris)

Salam Kawakibi (Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, Paris)