Syria prepares to celebrate Aleppo capital of Islamic culture
Syria-Regional, Culture, 3/10/2006

Syria's Prime Minister Naji Ottri called on Thursday to well prepare and intensify efforts as to make festivities of announcing Aleppo the Capital of Islamic Culture in 2006 a success.

Ottri called when presided a meeting in Aleppo in this respect, to bring out the cultural, civilized and Islamic aspects of the city of Aleppo as well as to spot light on her archeological treasures and heritage on Arab, Islamic and international levels.

Arrangements are taking place now to declare Aleppo the capital of Islamic culture on March 18th.

Ottri underlined the need to provide all effort that keep the historical and archeological architectural heritage of Aleppo which poses as a qualitative development on the level of Syria and the Arab world urging to bolster the sharing approach among all spectrums of society and enhance the national link as well as display main figures of Aleppo history.

He directed to put down a program that restores mosques and archeological houses of worshipping to bring back their brightness.

Both ministers of information and culture Mohsen Bilal and Riyad Nasaan Agha who shared the meeting, talked about "the importance of making this festivity a remarkable international event and to invest it as to show the civilized face of Syria mainly what she is distinguished of national unity that faces all what some biased media circulate with the aim of damaging the image of Syria and her values."

For his part, Minister of Information called in a statement the press to respond to "the unfair media that accuses us of terrorism."

He emphasized the importance of Aleppo as a cultural and civilized heritage that makes her distinguished from the rest of Arab and Islamic cities pointing out that many religious, Islamic and international personalities as well as official figures would visit the city on the occasion.

UNESCO describes Aleppo as "Located at the crossroads of several trade routes from the 2nd millennium B.C., Aleppo was ruled successively by the Hittites, Assyrians, Arabs, Mongols, Mamelukes and Ottomans. The 13th-century citadel, 12th-century Great Mosque and various 17th-century madrasas, palaces, caravanserais and hammams."

The World Heritage Site says "Aleppo is well worth a day of anyone’s time. With a range of buildings both monumental and everyday from between the 12th and 17th centuries it has been inscribed for its 'its cohesive unique urban fabric'." More can be read at http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/aleppo.html

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