Our institute PAR went with a group of 15 students to Syria. You can see who participated in the slideshow. Further details you see in the schedule. There will be audio-files and more fotos from each site soon. You can click on the locations to get more information. Or visit the link excursion in the sidebar.
We staid one week in Damascus where we discovered the old city of Damascus (until now the students just had known it virtually), than we continued traveling through the west parts of Syria. Our time in Damascus was specially interesting, since we presented our urban design projects in the old city and got some really helpful feedback from Syrians. Amjad Alrez, the city mayor of the old city in Damascus, was present as well and in the following days he invited us to his working plays, the maktab anbar. Not only that he explained us their view of the old city, which helped us to come to know the Syrian culture, but he showd us some examples of their way of improving the qualities of the old city (urban design as well as architecture).
Besides we visited some Damascene courthouses, because some of the students will still continue to re-design a traditional Damascene courthouse to now-a-days needs. The Technical University of Darmstadt would be pleased to collaborate in the future with Maktab Anbar, the mayor’s office, since the old town of Damascus is one of the most interesting places now-a-days in the East. At least they have supplied as with very detailed plans and information and we will give our best to find a good design.
In June 2009 Amjad Alrez is invited by our institute to discuss further details. I hope that our students will have good housing projects and we are looking forward to Amjad Alrez’ feedback.
For all of us, we were more than pleased with our stay in Syria. We hope that the bond between the Technical University of Darmstadt and the mayor’s office of the old town in Damascus created during our stay will last for a long time and result in not just one collaboration.
You can see our reports from Syria here.
Schedule
|
a.m. |
p.m. |
at night |
| 16.03.09 |
airplane |
arrival |
getting together at the hotel |
| 17.03.09 |
9h30
visit of the old town with Regina Kallmayer (GTZ) |
14h00
visit of the planning area for the workshop |
|
| 18.03.09 |
workshop |
workshop |
20h00
presentation design projects at Kozah Art Gallery in the old city |
| 19.03.09 |
workshop |
workshop |
party with Universität Hannover |
| 20.03.09 FRIDAY |
Damascus excursion |
free to do whatever you want (maybe workshop??) |
|
| 21.03.09 |
|
Bosra daytrip excursion |
|
| 22.03.09 |
Damascus excursion |
|
presentation workshop |
| 23.03.09 |
Damascus excursion with Hekmat Chatta, a Damascene architect |
|
|
| 24.03.09 |
8h00
bustrip to Seidnayya and Ma’loula |
Krak des Chevaliers (Qalaat
Alhosn) & Mar Georgiou’s Ministry |
stay in Bedouin tent nearby Palmyra |
| 25.03.09 |
Palmyra |
|
Palmyra |
| 26.03.09 |
Hama |
Albara and Sarjela |
Aleppo |
| 27.03.09 FRIDAY |
8h30
visit of the old city of Aleppo with Rana Nakal (gtz) |
a walking tour to Qalaat Samaan (Saint Simon Church) and Ain Dara through the Afrin valley |
Aleppo |
| 28.03.09 |
old city, carnival of environment |
and continuing to
Alqatora |
Aleppo |
| 29.03.09 |
visit of saladin castle on the way to Latakia |
Ugarit |
Latakia |
| 30.03.09 |
Orontes valley |
Apameia and Masyaf |
Damascus |
| 31.03.09 |
Damascus |
|
return flight at night |
This is still quite tentative, but I wanted to offer you some space for comments.
So, feel free to leave any suggestions!
Thank you.
