“Sour” Society for preserving cultural heritage
Last week, the cultural “Sour” Society was formally founded in Aleppo city with the aim of preserving cultural heritage and empowering local communities to get benefit from this heritage.
The society was founded by 19 architects and archaeologists and it would contribute to supporting the restoration of urban heritage and conducting studies and research in coordination with the concerned authorities.
Eng. Thoraya Zrieq, the chairperson of the Board of Directors of the society, said: “Heritage is the memory of peoples and societies, so preserving the cultural heritage of each society is the basis that connects our past with our present and prepares a bright future for the next generations. We believe that he who has no past has neither present nor future ….. We seek to work as a team to preserve our heritage and identity.”
She clarified that the society includes a group of well-known academics and experts working in the field of preserving historical cities and monuments in general and protecting the Syrian cultural heritage in particular.
Eng. Zrieq went on to say that it was difficult to select a suitable name for the society due to the presence of dozens of institutions and associations that have the same names inside Syria and abroad.
“The name ‘Sour’ was suggested by prof. Mohammad Nour Habaq, director of the Aleppo Citadel, and it was unanimously approved by the founders. It refers to the historical cities protected by walls and the urban heritage in general. It also has the same first three letters of Souria (Syria),” she added.
On Friday [July. 14 , 2023] the association held its first meeting where the founders discussed several ideas, including creating FB account and website for the society.
By: Basma Qaddour