People’s Assembly discusses performance of the Ministry of Culture, several culture-related issues

DAMASCUS, (ST)- The People’s Assembly (PA) held a session on Monday to discuss the performance of the Ministry of Culture as well as several culture-related issues.

During the session, Minister of Culture, Dr. Lubana Mshaweh, explained the ministry’s objectives and programs, which include implementing projects for preserving and restoring archaeological monuments, training and qualifying related cadres and ensuring equipment necessary to complete excavations and register the archaeological sites using the geographical information system.

She added that some stolen artifacts have been recovered through the ministry’s cooperation with international organizations, friendly countries and Syrian expatriates abroad.

 Mshaweh affirmed that the ministry has worked to include the Shadow Theater and the Damascene Rose on international heritage and cultural lists. She added that a project to restore the monument of the Great Syrian Revolution in the town of Al-Qurayya in Sweida, which includes the remains of its leader Sultan Pasha Al-Atrash, has been started.

The Minister went on to say that work is also underway to restore a historic wall which is about to collapse, as well as a dome of a historical, archaeological and religious value in Qanawat town in Sweida. She pointed out that the ministry is cooperating with the Ministry of Tourism to restore the Throne Hall in Aleppo Citadel and with the Syrian Trust for Development to restore Khan al-Shouneh in Aleppo.

Some PA members called for more efforts to be exerted to maintain archeological and historical sites, to establish new cultural institutes and to implement new cultural investment projects.

The minister, on her part, said that the Ministry has launched the “My Heritage is My Identity and My Language” project to simplify the Arabic language for children, qualify the cadres and train them to deal with children and help them understand the heritage concepts.

She added that work is also underway to establish the Museum of Heritage Modern Art to maintain and document the Ministry’s assets, artistic and plastic art works. She pointed out that there is also a project to restore historical documents, most important of which are the manuscripts at the Al-Assad Library.

Hamda Mustafa