In turn,  Director of the Syrian Trust for Development in Lattakia  Rani Saqr  referred to the importance of preserving the heritage, especially in light of the terrorist war that Syria has been subjected to in an attempt to obliterate Syrian identity,  culture,  existence and  history. He pointed to the role of  the Syrian Trust for Development to register  Syrian symbols on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage, including the  Damascene rose  and  shadow  play theater, in which the  Syrian trust for development  participates through a series of performances at the festival. 

Launching the festival’s activities were  preceded by a visit to  Burhan Haidar ‘s heritage handicrafts Museum at  the Arab Cultural Center in Ein Al-Baida to introduce the  traditional crafts and efforts to protect them and stop their disappearance. 

Owner of the museum ,  archaeologist Burhan Haidar indicated that the museum  displays  13  heritage crafts including  silk,  producing silk napkins, weaving mats from straw, knitting chairs, making flutes and wooden spoons and  weaving  baskets. 

He  stressed  the importance of reviving activities and festivals which  celebrate Syrian  heritage in the face of attempts to obliterate or distort it. 

Interviewed by : Rawaa Ghanam