Aleppo: Memory of Destruction through heritage visualization

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Conflict Urbanism Aleppo Memory of destruction through heritage visualization Carmelo Ignaccolo

Advisors: Prof. Laura Kurgan Grga Basic Dare Brawley



Conflict Urbanism Aleppo Memory of destruction through heritage visualization Carmelo Ignaccolo

Advisors: Prof. Laura Kurgan Grga Basic Dare Brawley


“Memory of destruction through heritage visualization� is a case study on the current condition of heritage sites in Syria and specifically in Aleppo. This research proposes a new perspective of understanding the variety of the Syrian heritage sites unfolding the international and national ranking (UNESCO, Directorate-General of Antiquities & Museums etc.). The aim of this paper is visualizing the complexity of the conditions of heritage sites in Aleppo and critically understanding the availability of different sources. This approach might lead to a new ranking system of the level of destruction, which coul be utilized in phase of reconstruction.


The research is organized in three chapters: 1. SYRIA Variety of heritage sites in the Syrian territory and difference between the sites inscribed in the World Heritage List and those recognized by the local Syrian authorities. 2. ALEPPO Location of heritage sites in the old city of Aleppo in correlation to the area of destructions. The study analyzes the specific condition of East Aleppo as area which experienced most devastation in the city. 3. HERITAGE Critical understanding of different sources available to categorize the heritage sites according to the damages experienced during the war.


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Heritage Damages and Post-Conflict Funding

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SYRIA

Heritage


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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. The Syrian Arab Republic accepted the convention on 13 August 1975, making its historical sites eligible for inclusion on the list. As of 2016, six sites in Syria are included. The first site in Syria, Ancient City of Damascus, was inscribed on the list at the 3rd Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France in 1979. Ancient City of Bosraand and the Site of Palmyra were inscribed the following year as the second and the third site, while Ancient City of Aleppo was added in 1986. Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din were added collectively to the list in 2006, followed by Ancient Villages of Northern Syria in 2011. All six of Syria’s properties have been placed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger since 2013, as their integrity has been to varied degrees compromised following the outbreak of the Syrian Civil War; Aleppo in particular has suffered extensive damage, while a number of prominent structures in Palmyra have been destroyed.


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UNESCO sites in Syria with year of inscription and criteria of selection


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The List of World Heritage in Danger is compiled by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through the World Heritage Committee according to Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention, which was established in 1972 to designate and manage World Heritage Sites. Entries in the list are threatened World Heritage Sites for the conservation of which major operations are required and for which “assistance has been requested�. Syrian heritage sites were added in this list in 2013 during the UNESCO meeting in Phnom Penh.


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Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU) well preserved Syrian heritage sites and area of conflict and displacement - April 11, 2013


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Just 4% of Syria’s cultural sites remain outsider the areas of conflict and displacement. 1061 are the heritage preserved sites in Syria: - 268 Religious sites - 137 Civic State sites - 107 Commercial / Suq sites - 105 Fortifications - 99 Ancient cities - 84 Funerary sites - 73 Archeological sites - 64 Educational sites

In the following pages two specific sites have been analysed: Raqqa and Idlib.


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Humanitarian Information Unit (HIU) well preserved Syrian heritage sites typlogies - April 11, 2013


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Raqqa

Raqqa

This map illustrates satellite-detected damage in the city of Ar Raqqa, Syrian Arab Republic. Using satellite imagery acquired 03 February 2017, 29 May 2015, 12 February 2014, 22 October 2013, UNITAR - UNOSAT identified a total of 1,840 affected structures within the city. Approximately 948 of these were destroyed, 351 severely damaged, and 541 moderately damaged. While some of the city was damaged by 29 May 2015, 312 structures were newly damaged and 21 structures experienced an increase in damage between that date and 03 February 2017. Tha map represents also the registered heritage sites, showing the proximity with major area of destructions within the city who used to be the capital of the so called Islamic State.


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Raqqa: cultural heritage sites and UNOSAT data for destroyed fabrics (light blue), damaged buildings (light grey)


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Idlib

Idlib

This map illustrates satellite-detected damage density in the city of Idlib, Syrian Arab Republic. Using satellite imagery acquired 01 August 2016, 06 April 2015, 02 May 2014, and 15 September 2013 UNITAR - UNOSAT identified a total of 1,183 affected structures within the city. Approximately 243 of these were destroyed, 334 severely damaged, and 606 moderately damaged. While much of the city was damaged by 06 April 2015, 712 structures were newly damaged and 42 structures experienced an increase in damage between that date and 01 August 2016.


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Idlib: cultural heritage sites and UNOSAT data for destroyed fabrics (light blue), damaged buildings (light grey)


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ALEPPO Heritage Damages and Post-Conflict Funding

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Destruction


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“Aleppo has exceptional universal value because it represents medieval Arab architectural styles that are rare and authentic, in traditional human habitats. It constitutes typical testimony of the city’s cultural, social, and technological development […] It contains vestiges of Arab resistance against the Crusaders, but there is also the imprint of Byzantine, Roman and Greek occupation in the streets and in the plan of the city.”(i)

This map shows the location of the heritage sites of the city of Aleppo in correlation to the percentage of residential damages in the entire city. It appears clearly how the Eastern part of the city has been mainly object of destruction.


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This maps shows which neighborhoods of the city were more impacted by devastation during the civil war. It is clear that the Eastern part of the city had more buildings destroyed / damaged, therefore it is an area of exploration for further thoughts on heritage.


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This area covers the Ancient City of Aleppo World Heritage Property, inscribed in 1986 and added to the list of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO in 2013. Aleppo is one of the (if not the) oldest, continuously occupied cities in the world with some 7,000 years of known settlement history. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Property List due to its prominent location on the crossroads of several trade routes from the second millennium onwards. It was ruled by a succession of major empires, all of which left lingering marks on the city. Due to its long history of occupation, a large number of buildings in and around the original city of Aleppo are of great historical significance.

Aleppo direct UNESCO funding: - 1996 (4,000 USD) - 2001 (1250 USD) Aleppo fundings through UNESCO: - 2014 (2.46 EUR million from EU) (200,000 USD from Bahrain) (170,000 USD from Flemish Government - Belgium) (63,000 EUR from Austrial Government)


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UNESCO core area of the city of Aleppo


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This maps shows the correlation between the distribution of residential damages in the city center of Aleppo and the heritage sites colored according to their different typology. Trough this drawing appears very clear how the monumental part of the city has been occupied by the city residents till for centuries.


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Aleppo Great Mosque, February 14th 2012


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Aleppo Great Mosque, March 23rd 2016


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HERITAGE Heritage Damages and Post-Conflict Funding

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Ranking


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DESTROYED

75-100% of structure destroyed and all or most of structures collapsed

SEVERE DAMAGE

30-75% of structure damaged; significant part of structures damaged and significant military or civilian activity

MODERATE DAMAGE

5-30% of structure damaged; limited damage on structures and some military or civilian activity

POSSIBLE DAMAGE

Visible debris


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This maps shows a detailed study on ther heritage sites located on the East part of Aleppo.


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Part of this heritage sites are located in areas where UNOSAT has registered buiding distructions. Therefore through this drawing it is clear which sites have been damaged or distrcuted during the war.


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Concerning the sources of the data it is interesting to notice that some of the heritage sites marked before as damaged do not present the same information in the Cultural Heritage Dataset organized by the CSR through the Department of Archeology at Columbia University.


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New database concerning heritage conservation in the East side of the city of Aleppo. It shows the different information recorded by the independent researcher Ross, DGAM, ASPA and ASOR.


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In this map three different sources are compared on the same geogrphical location of East Aleppo. (UNITAR, DGAM and Columbia Archeology)


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