Souk al-Saqatiyya Rehabilitation

Aleppo, Syria

Starting in late 2016, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) participated with UNESCO and other international NGOs and conservation specialists in a number of conferences and workshops on the subject of rehabilitation. Later that year, the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Monuments and the Syria Trust for Development, reached out to AKTC as the entity considered best placed and most experienced to assist in the rehabilitation of some of the most damaged cultural heritage sites in the country as part of a humanitary assistance programme.

The Aleppo Souk is the largest medieval souk in the Middle East and was badly damaged during the conflict. A pilot project on a section (Souk al- Saqatiyya) with a length of 150 metres including 52 shops was undertaken starting at the end of 2018 throughout 2019. This prototype for conservation includes the structure of the souk (all public space including the vaulted roof and central passageway, essential infrastructure and utilities, as well as 3 completed shops showcasing the possible finishes of individual shops. The prime objective is to improve the infrastructure and utilities in the Souk, so as to encourage shop owners and clients to resume commercial activities in the social and economic arteries of the city. Phase 1 was completed in July 2019. It is the first conservation and reuse project in post-conflict Aleppo of such scale. 

In November 2020, AKTC’s work on Souk al-Saqatiyya received the ICCROM-Sharjah prize for best practice in the conservation of Islamic heritage.

Update: The souk suffered minor damage in the earthquakes of February 2023, and was repaired by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture