Documentary exhibition depicting the lifestyles in the Syrian Al-Jazira region

The documentary exhibition, which was hosted by  the Arab Cultural Center in the city of Hassaka, included eighty-five photographs depicting  the  lifestyles  of the people in Al-Jazera region of Syria at the beginning of the last century.

The exhibition, which was organized by the “Safsaf Al-Khabour”  Cultural Association in cooperation with the Directorate of Culture in Al-Hasaka governorate  and the branch of the Arab Writers Union there , sheds light on Al-Jazira region’s aspects of life in agriculture and traditional costumes , Bedouin life, in addition to some archaeological and geographical  sites, the types of weapons used at that  time, and photos  of  prominent social figures in that region.

Head of  the Association’s Board of Directors, Ahmed Al-Hussein, said  in a statement to SANA reporter that the exhibition is of great importance as it  documented several social and environmental aspects of life  through photographs  some of which date back to a century ago and were  taken by some travelers and orientalists.

He added that the photographs depicted the stages of development of the region, stressing they are considered a wealth  and will be documented to provide a rich image of this land where our ancestors lived .

Researcher Khaled Al-Atallah pointed out that his participation came through  presenting a number of different photos  of  lifestyles  from the archive of the German researcher and orientalist Copenheim, which contains more than 13,000 photographs  depicting various aspects of life during the past century, with the aim of introducing to  the public  the way our ancestors lived on our fertile land.

In turn,  participant , Nizar Al-Hussein affirmed  that the importance of the exhibition comes from being the most comprehensive and oldest documentation of  the people’s lifestyles  of the Syrian Al-Jazira region  in addition to presenting  photos  of the most famous  archaeological sites in the governorate  ,  people,s gatherings and water wheels on “ Al-Khabour” River and other photos.

Visitors  of the exhibition  expressed their admiration for  the exhibition that embodied a broad perception of the way the ancestors lived in Al-Jazira region, which formed a cultural heritage for the period preceding the construction of major cities in this region at the beginning of the last century.

RawaaGhanam