The project focuses on studying the urban fabric of the world living heritage site of the old city of Aleppo. This trade metropolis, opulent in architectural monuments, has been largely affected by the current armed conflict. It serves as a preparatory work to assist scientific future rebuilding and recovery efforts.
Due to the on-going conflict in Syria, almost no documentation or archival material about the historic architecture survived in Aleppo today. Aleppo neighborhood documentation gives a special focus on the main commercial axis of Suwayqat Ali and Judayda residential quarter to have an overview on the city by considering different parts. The documentation work scope covers a historical background research, analysis of the urban morphology and architectural typologies in the quarter, and on-site mapping of the current situation and assessing the damage scale. Information and photos before and after the destruction are systematically collected, compiled in our database and enriched by metadata.The evaluated data will be published in an online publication, and a handbook with practical conservation instruments and rehabilitation recommendations on how to restore a historic house will be developed. This should help house owners, architects and craftsmen to implement appropriate rehabilitation projects to safeguard their cultural heritage.This project is part of a wider network of Syrian Heritage Initiatives in the Museum for Islamic Art in Berlin, focusing on various topics related to Syrian heritage. Together, our aim is to document, preserve and present the richness of Syrian heritage for everyone.
