Syria visit
Mawlana Hazar Imam emphasises the importance of reviving cultural heritage“The background to this initiative is very simple. It is to illustrate to the peoples of our world, the history of the civilisations of the Ummah. Because they don’t know our history, they don’t know our literature, they don’t know our philosophy, they don’t know the physical environment in which our countries have lived, they view the Ummah in terminology which is completely wrong.”
These were the powerful words of Mawlana Hazar Imam upon inaugurating the medieval citadel overlooking Syria’s ancient city of Aleppo during his recent Golden Jubilee visit to the country. The ceremony marked the completion of cultural revitalisation work carried out by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in partnership with the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums on the citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf, that once formed a system of fortresses in central-western Syria. It was attended by Syrian Prime Minister His Excellency Mohamed Naji Otri, the Governor of Aleppo, Dr. Tamer Hejjeh and Prince Amyn, as well as numerous government officials, faith leaders and partners in cultural restoration.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mawlana Hazar Imam emphasised the importance of reviving the history of civilisations of the global Muslim Community, the Ummah, saying, “We don’t do enough to illustrate to the peoples of our world the greatness of the Islamic civilisations and cultures of the past.”
In 1999, the Syrian Government approached the AKTC for assistance in the restoration of the three Citadels of Aleppo, Salah ad-Din and Masyaf. Founded by Mawlana Hazar Imam in 1988, the Trust had already established a reputation as one of the world’s foremost conservation organisations. Moreover, AKTC had been working in several sites in the Muslim world, from Cairo to Mali, Afghanistan to Zanzibar, to strike an appropriate balance between tourism and conservation and between development and cultural preservation.
The decision to work on Syria’s most historic citadels was therefore received with much enthusiasm, and a partnership agreement was signed with the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in 1999. Consistent with the area development approach utilised by AKTC in Egypt, Pakistan and elsewhere, under the agreement AKTC would also work to improve the area around the citadels.
“My interest in working in Syria is to take the various lead countries of the Ummah and say, let’s start, let’s move together, let’s revive our cultures so that modernity is not only seen in the terminology of the west, but in the intelligent use of our past” remarked Mawlana Hazar Imam.
This 6-day Golden Jubilee visit to a country enriched with centuries of culture and heritage, started in Damascus on 24th August 2008 and also included memorable Darbars in Salamieh and Al-Khawabi, as well as functions with the Jamati leadership as well as the Syrian Government relating to on-going work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in the country. During the visit, Mawlana Hazar Imam met with the President of the Syrian Arab Republic, His Excellency Dr. Bashar Al-Assad, to discuss various issues related to development in Syria, and also launched a host of new initiatives in the areas of healthcare, nursing, education, microfinance, tourism and culture aimed at further developing these areas and enhancing sustainable integrated development in the country.
The visit was also an opportunity to sign three landmark agreements designed to strengthen collaboration in the areas of microfinance, healthcare, and cultural tourism. The first agreement marked the launch of the First Microfinance Institution (FMFI) in Syria. The FMFI is the first entity of its kind in the country and will operate as a banking institution, while remaining focused on poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development in line with the mandate of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM). Since 2003, approximately 45,000 loans have been disbursed, amounting to nearly US$40 million, generating and developing over 35,000 new and existing business opportunities.
Mawlana Hazar Imam spoke of the powerful opportunities that microcredit presents to the poor. “It is a resource which needs to be developed,” he said, “and I hope we will be able to expand the microcredit activities in Syria, to more and more people across the country, particularly in rural environments.”
A second agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding, was signed between the Aga Khan University (AKU), the Ministry of Health and Syria’s Ministry of Higher Education, aimed at contributing towards the further development of the healthcare sector in Syria. The agreement provides a basis for cooperation between AKU and Syria’s Ministry of Health in nursing education and hospital quality assurance and is a significant contribution towards the strengthening and building of capacity in the country in response to the challenge of developing human resources in healthcare.
“Institutions that teach best practices, measured in global terms, are critical for any country in the world, however well developed it is,” Mawlana Hazar Imam noted at the signing ceremony. “Building institutional capacity in Syria - jointly in healthcare and education, is a goal which we have shared since we started our discussions and the agreement that was signed today with regard to Higher Education and institutional building, enters directly into this area.”
A third agreement, signed on behalf of the government by the Governor of Damascus, and AKDN’s Tourism Promotion Services, announced the investment of approximately US$20 million towards the building of a 5-star hotel that will involve the restoration and adaptation of three houses in Old Damascus, as well as an adjacent school. The restoration project will also generate employment and train local communities in the development of various skills.
Remarking that “Islamic cultures have immense power and immense opportunity,” Mawlana Hazar Imam pointed out that “it is up to us Muslims to illustrate those civilisations, those cultures of the past and present.” One way to do so, he noted is through the revitalisation of cultural assets through the development of the leisure industry. “Cultural assets can and should become contributors to cultural dialogue, to cultural understanding, pride in one’s heritage and make an economic contribution to the country,” Mawlana Hazar Imam noted, adding that “cultural assets speak for our history, speak for our traditions, speak for our values, speak for our ethics.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam also announced the creation of an urban park in Aleppo at Bab Qinnesrine, to be built on waste ground owned by the Aleppo Municipality, which will create a vast new public green space for the people of Aleppo.
Meanwhile, in the predominantly Ismaili town of Salamieh several hours drive from Damascus, thousands of volunteers tirelessly continued to prepare the fields of the Agricultural School of Salamieh, where the first of two Golden Jubilee Darbars in Syria was to be held. The town itself was festively adorned with Ismaili and Syrian flags, billboards with pictures of Mawlana Hazar Imam and President Al-Assad, and colourful banners welcoming the Imam to Salamieh. The joyful spirit engulfing the town in the days leading up to the Darbar was truly unique. Members of the Syrian and international Jamat poured into the streets rejoicing, singing, dancing, and celebrating the imminent arrival of the Imam.
After the Darbar, Mawlana Hazar Imam hosted a reception for government officials, diplomats and other guests and a dinner in Damascus at which the Prime Minister was the Chief Guest.
Mawlana Hazar Imam also travelled to the mountainous region of Al-Khawabi, for the second Golden Jubilee Darbar. The site for this Darbar was located atop a hill with views of the vast expanses of mountains and valleys surrounding it. Accessible by a winding road up the mountainside festively adorned by Ismaili residents in the area, thousands of murids and others travelled from across the region for this Darbar.
Mawlana Hazar Imam’s Golden Jubilee visit to Syria came to a close when he departed from Aleppo Airport, where Prime Minister Muhammad Naji Al-Otri bade the Imam farewell on behalf of the Government, together with leaders of the Jamat and AKDN in Syria. This historic visit sets the framework for the advancement of a host of Imamat endeavours in a country where so much of our rich Islamic history is situated, and where the global Jamat, the Ummah and the world at large has so much to gain from their story, their cultural heritage and their advancement.
الإثنين سبتمبر 11, 2023 8:10 am من طرف الاسماعيلي اليامي
