As the oldest
continuously inhabited
capital in the world, the
Damascus Old City is a
living testament to old
civilization, qualifying it
for the World Heritage and
elevating it from
national to human heritage.
Syria gives considerable
attention to preserving the
Old City of Damascus and
other old cities that still
contain historic landmarks
reflecting their importance
as points where diverse
civilizations met.
Therefore, there is a
need for historic
documentation and presenting
maps and plans that depict
the history of the Old City
of
Damascus
accurately and
scientifically, and studying
the current state of the
city before beginning work
on any plans.
Within this context, the
Ministry of Local
Administration, in
cooperation with the
European Commission
delegation in Damascus,
launched the Atlas of Old
Damascus, which was prepared
by the Municipal
Administration Modernization
(MAM) program.
The MAM work team
presented a complete study
containing historic and
analytical studies,
specifying difficulties and
making suggestions that take
into consideration the
continuing evolution of the
Old City as a historic city
that must be preserved.
The Atlas, which includes
old corrected maps, modern
maps, detailed studies and
analytical plans, is the
first step in an integrated
plan for preserving and
developing the Old City and
it will be used to develop
future studies.
The Atlas consists of
four sections. The first
section details the historic
and architectural
development of Damascus and
the historic buildings in
it, in addition to the wall
of Damascus.
The second section
contains plans of buildings,
registered archeological
sites and surrounding areas,
while the third section
contains a detailed analysis
of the current situation of
areas around Old Damascus.
The fourth section
contains the plans of Old
Damascus within the wall,
with detailed studies of
streets, buildings, open
areas and more.
In a statement to SANA,
Minister of Local
Administration Tamer al-Hejjeh
noted that the Old City of
Damascus attracts many
scholars, historians and
tourists and draws the
attention of the world as a
cultural landmark, which
necessitated preparing a
detailed document about the
Old City.
"This effort is one of
the results of cooperating
with the European Union to
define the archeological
sites of Old Damascus," the
Minister said, stressing the
need for preserving the
historic architectural
identify of Damascus.
For his part, head of the
European Commission
delegation in Damascus
Vassilis Bontosoglou said
the Atlas is a scientific
document that presents
Damascus city and its
historic importance,
affirming the importance of
preserving national and
international cultural
heritage.SANA
