The Arab Culture Ministers decided 2 years ago to declare Damascus as the Capital of Arabic Culture for 2008. while Algeria was the Capital for 2007 and Jerusalem the Capital for 2009. Based on that agreement, therefore, Damascus city start the repairing works of its most important monuments such as the Umayyad Mosque. With this purpose in mind, the city prepared for a full year of cinematic, theatrical, art fairs, musical and cultural activities in every public complex in Damascus city.
in reality, On January 18th, 2008, Damascus celebrated the official opening of festivities for "Damascus, Capital of Arab culture for 2008" Actually, For the first time, Damascenes used fireworks in those celebrations. In the past, security concerns prevented organizers of similar events from using fireworks. in fact, President Assad made a speech that included the expected expressions of pride in Damascus and its history, culture, and significance in the Arab world. However, the speech also included hints about the strategic direction the President intends to take Syria in the future.
Damascus is the city where you can find the routes that Paul, the Messenger, walked; indeed, they are flowered with the amity he planted.Furthermore, Khaled opens his arms at the eastern gate of Damascus, welcoming and embracing visitors. Meanwhile, the Umayyads are looking to the horizon on the minarets of the Umayyad Mosque guarding John the Baptist. Ultimately, Saladin is mocking those who have been harboring evil to Damascus
Since, Damascus holds between its monuments the tombs of renowned philosophers, poets and, artists from all over the Arab homeland from the tomb of Farabi, the tomb of Ersouzi, the tomb of Ibn Arabi, and the tomb of Nabulsi to the tomb of Nizar Kabbani. Moreover, The secretary-general, declared "Damascus, the capital of Arab culture means to be the capital of the Arab dignity. So, gives us a strong sense of human and national pride. Similarity, Damascus is the capital of the resistance culture as an inherent feature of our Arab culture features. also, it is the culture of freedom and defense of freedom. again, it is the culture of creativity because creativity and freedom cannot be separated. Most importantly, Damascus, the capital of the Arab culture is a great and deep lesson and indicates the dialog of cultures and their co-existence and is a symbol of the richness of life and an eloquent proof of the futility of the idea of civilizations clash.
It is the first of its kind in Syria, specifically in the heart of old Damascus. It gathers a collection of all kinds of plants and flowers that grow in the Barada River basin.And, the Syrian Society of Environment executed the idea of the garden, which was founded by Switzerland with the support of the Syrian government. Furthermore, the garden is located next to Damascus Castle viewing its lofty walls. Also, the ladies of the society gathered to defend the idea of the garden after it was a dump area, created the design, and established the garden by October 2005.
Even more, the festival of Damascus, the Capital of Arab Culture included the broadening of the environmental gardens around the country, where one can have a nice time in its café that offers soft drinks and healthy snacks on the view of the green garden. Of course, the activities can be held in such gardens in the future as mentioned in the general-secretary statement. and yet, Secretary-General confirms that the renovation will include all cities and major towns all over Syria so that instead of attracting citizens to certain cultural places no matter how far it is from them, the cultural events would be closer to people in every part of Syria. This is the main purpose of the celebration.
Over 25 years ago, UNESCO considered Aleppo City one of the most important Islamic cities and kept it in the human heritage record, because the walled city of Aleppo is the largest among the Islamic cities in history, it is 418 Hectares.About 3 years ago, the Islamic Convention Organization and the Islamic Organization for Education, Science, and Culture discussed the idea of celebrating an annual festival in one of the Islamic cities to indicate the civilized aspect and the cultural influence of that city. The first festival was decided to be held in Mecca in 2005, and the festival of 2006 was decided to be in Aleppo as the conference that was held in Algeria in 2004 has stated.
Aleppo is more than 10.000 years old and is still beating with the heart of life.critically, The only Islamic city in the world that showcases an architectural heritage expressing every single period of The Islamic Civilization is this city, starting with the 7th century AD construction of al Sho'aybye Mosque, and continuing through the Umayyad, Abbasid, Zingid, Ayyubid, and also, Ottoman periods, all the way to our present day.Furthermore, Aleppo retains ruins and structures that cover all periods,varying in their functions and purposes to support everyday activities in every phase; most of them belong to Islamic Rulers and Sultans.
In the 13th century AD, Saladin's sun, Ghazi, transformed the citadel of Aleppo into a fortress, using it to defeat the Mongol invasions. One can distinguish the mosques in the old city and the new city by their magnificent architecture and the art of mosaics on the walls and wooden ceilings. The Umayyad (the Great) Mosque is an example of the superior architecture levels Islam has accomplished in Aleppo structures through time. The city's strategic location on the crossroads between the three continents also characterizes it, making it an imperative passage for trading caravans throughout history. That has been accompanied by improving the entertainment facilities and public utilities such as khans, restaurants, public baths, markets, and industry. The Khans and Souqs that we find in Aleppo are Islamic features which we can find in all other Islamic cities. The 16th century AD saw the erection of structures to provide traders and caravans with the substantial materials they needed for trade.
Its rich intellectual heritage distinguishes Aleppo.The royal court of Seif al-Dawlah is the best example to show the greatness of Aleppo heritage of literature, intellectual, and scientific heritage. it gathered the greatest poets and scientists along the history "al Moutanabi - al Farabi - al Asfahani - al Khawarzmi - etc...". During "al-Zaher al Ayyubid" rule. Also, The pearl of Islamic cities was considered to be Aleppo. concerning trade, economics, and architecture fields;Since the 3rd millennium BC, this glorious heritage has been passed down to us.in the same way, Islam has brought much to science and literature, therefore, in every Islamic city there have to be several schools to teach the Holy Qur'an and Arabic literature.Chiefly, Aleppo still holds these valuable schools inside its antique walls.By adding that to the cultural heritage of Aleppo, we can get the reason behind choosing this city to represent Islamic civilization for 2006 according to its historical and cultural importance.
Friday 17/03/2006The festival started with the opening of the Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, and declaring Aleppo as "The Capital of Islamic Culture for 2006". The inauguration of the repair works of the Mosque was a historic day for the city; it was dedicated by Mr. President Bashar al Assad and held the Friday prayer.Saturday 18/03/2006The festival on Saturday was opened by performing the operate of "Aleppo in History Pages". The operation showed the history of the city from the 10th century BC till our present day through traditional folklore dance and singing performances. The great singer, Sabah Fakhri, presented and performed a few of his best melodious anthems to close the day.The following week include various activities such as lectures and symposiums about literature, science, art, and religion in Syria. The seminars aimed the correct the idea that the media is promoting about Islam and fixing the wrong image of Islam, that the world is receiving from the media. and yet, during the festival along the year (2006), Aleppo witnessed a cultural revolution that had never happened; over 300 lectures and symposiums on various subjects and many art performances were presented along the year to celebrate Aleppo, the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2006.
