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UAE, Tunisia Sign MoU to Revamp 'Home of Ibn Khaldun'

Initiative to restore the house of the great Arab scholar and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in Tunis. WAM
Initiative to restore the house of the great Arab scholar and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in Tunis. WAM
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UAE, Tunisia Sign MoU to Revamp 'Home of Ibn Khaldun'

Initiative to restore the house of the great Arab scholar and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in Tunis. WAM
Initiative to restore the house of the great Arab scholar and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in Tunis. WAM

UAE’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Tunisia have concluded an MoU to revamp the ‘Home of Ibn Khaldun’ in the City of Culture, Shazly Kelibi, in Tunis.
Aimed at turning the house into a museum for the renowned scholar Abdurahman ibn Khaldoun, the MoU was signed by Abdurrahman Mohamed Al Owais, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center and Dr. Hayat Qatat Al-Qarmazi, the Minister of Cultural Affairs of Tunisia, in the presence of Dr Yousef Al Obaidli, Director-General of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in Abu Dhabi, and Dr. Iman Ahmed Al-Salami, UAE Ambassador to Tunisia, along with a number of officials from both countries.

“The initiative to restore the house of the great Arab scholar and philosopher Ibn Khaldun in Tunis, which comes under the noble patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, constitutes one of the initiatives of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center for preserving human heritage at all local, Arab, and international levels," said Al Owais.

“This effort reflects the UAE's commitment to preserving world heritage, in its both tangible and intangible forms, an approach that was initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and maintained by the UAE wise leadership in an example to follow in terms of tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and cultural harmony,” he added.

For her part, Al-Qarmazi hailed the longstanding cultural cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture and heritage.

“This signing is a step in the right direction for advancing the partnership between the two nations in a way that showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Arab and Islamic worlds," she added.

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War-damaged Souks Reopen in Syria's Aleppo

People walk along an alley during the reopening of restored bazaars that were damaged during the Syrian conflict in the northern city of Aleppo © - / AFP
People walk along an alley during the reopening of restored bazaars that were damaged during the Syrian conflict in the northern city of Aleppo © - / AFP
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War-damaged Souks Reopen in Syria's Aleppo

People walk along an alley during the reopening of restored bazaars that were damaged during the Syrian conflict in the northern city of Aleppo © - / AFP
People walk along an alley during the reopening of restored bazaars that were damaged during the Syrian conflict in the northern city of Aleppo © - / AFP

Four historic souks in northern Syria's Aleppo, heavily damaged during some of the most intense fighting of the 13-year civil war, reopened this week following their restoration.

"After I reopened my old shop, following the renovation of the market, I felt my spirit return with it," said merchant Omar al-Rawwas, 45, who inherited his family's carpet business at the revived Saqtiya 2 souk.

Once famous for its bustling markets and old citadel, Aleppo's Old City was rendered almost unrecognizable by some of the worst violence in Syria's conflict between government forces and opposition that began after mass protests in 2011.

The fighting in Aleppo, which lasted until 2016 when Damascus recaptured the area with Moscow's support, completely destroyed many of the famed markets in the city previously considered Syria's economic capital.

Four souks in the Old City, restored through combined public and private efforts, reopened Wednesday evening -- drawing officials, residents and charity representatives to the celebration.

"Thank God, things have improved and the country has gotten better," Rawwas told AFP, noting that some of his business is from people returning to Aleppo since calm returned.

"Today, expatriates return from abroad to their homes, finding their rugs damaged by moths. They have them repaired because some of these rugs hold personal memories and others have special value to them."

The revived strip of shops, some reduced to ashes at the start of the conflict, stretches for about 100 metres (330 feet) across the Old City.

In previous years, three other souks of the total of 37 that once surrounded the citadel were restored.

The Saqtiya 2 souk was relatively spared the damage that hit other markets, where restoration work is continuing, albeit slowly, due to the country's economic crisis.

According to UNESCO, as much as 60 percent of Aleppo's Old City was badly damaged in fighting, and of that 30 percent was completely destroyed.

The Syrian army recaptured eastern Aleppo from opposition groups after a siege and heavy bombardment that forced tens of thousands of civilians and fighters to flee.

"In 2012, we fled the souk under bombardment and gunfire. We didn't leave by choice but were forced to," said Abdallah Chawwa, 49, who sells Aleppo's famous olive oil soap.

"I am now back in my shop and my spirit has returned to me."