Subscribe to our Newsletter

Enter your email:


Latest News

Chapter One: Society’s Goals

Item (1)

Introduction: The Citadel of Aleppo is considered to be one of the most important cultural tourism landmarks in Middle and Near East. It has recently been undergoing a comprehensive process of rehabilitation that combines international quality restoration, upgraded site management and the elevation of tourist services. This intervention will highlight the great historical and archaeological importance of the site.

The Citadel is the landmark of the City of Aleppo with its more than two million inhabitants. It lies in the heart of the historic section of Aleppo, a living thriving center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The people of Aleppo are attached to the Citadel emotionally as a matter of identity and pride. It is a place of culture as well as leisure and entertainment for Aleppians, other Syrians and foreign visitors.

As the rehabilitation process in the Citadel and its perimeter develops, the attraction of the site increases. More visitors are already flocking to the site and even more are expected in the future. This will create more pressure on the local authorities to improve the management of the site and upgrade the maintenance.

Hence it is important to initiate well-planned activities which generate income to support the maintenance and management process. It is also important to promote and regulate the proper international standard tourist services in the area such as information centers, hotels, restaurants, handicraft centers etc., and to organize cultural activities and entertainment.

Accordingly, a group of citizens who recognize the great importance of the citadel and its surroundings and the importance of popular participation decided to establish a domestic civil society called "Aleppo Citadel Friends"with the aim of supporting the process of the proper administration and maintenance of the site.

Note: The meaning of this introduction is considered to be an indivisible part from this order.

Item (2)

A civil domestic Society (non-governmental organization = NGO) will be established in Aleppo under the name “Aleppo Citadel Friends Society” to be a civilized assembly which gathers people who love the Citadel and who work to serve and care for it, through its rehabilitation process and putting it in the Arab and international spotlight.

The actual activities of the Society are limited to Aleppo and are concentrated on the Citadel and its perimeter. The headquarters of the society will be in the Citadel or in its perimeter.

Item (3)

The goals of the Society will adhere to the following essential principles:

  1. Working to care for the Citadel of Aleppo and its surroundings and enhancing public awareness of the site as a special and rare heritage.
  2. Cooperating with the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Department of Antiquities and Museums in Aleppo, the City of Aleppo and all concerned entities towards realizing the society's declared goals through adopting a programmed process to care for the site and highlighting its their historic and contemporary importance.
  3. Saving and conserving all documents and written references that concern the Citadel and perimeter, and the creation of a complete and modern archiving system for this subject.
  4. Publishing leaflets and brochures about the Citadel’s history and its relation to the City and publishing material to guide the tourists through their visits in a number of languages in addition to Arabic.
  5. Cooperating with the Department of Tourism to promote the site through the preparation and adoption of periodical programs designed to broaden tourist awareness and enhance the cultural tourism visits.
  6. Supporting research and its publication of subjects related to the site, and making the results available to the public and other interested parties.
  7. Providing different alternatives for the required financing of the different activities by establishing a special account for the funds coming from donations, grants, proceeds of events and exhibitions in addition to the membership and annual fees. Such funds are to be spent on essential restoration and maintenance in the site according to the standard applicable to such international historical cultural tourism sites.
  8. Collaborating with all international authorities and associations concerned towards achieving the society's goals.

Item (4)

The Society works to realize its declared aims through its members’ respect and adherence to the principles which led to the Society’s establishment. The Society cannot intervene in or become involved in political matters or religious beliefs.