In light of the announcement of a joint workshop between the Directorate of the Old City of Damascus and the Higher Institute for Regional Planning, titled “Raising the Efficiency of Historic Buildings for Optimal Use,” the Syrian Future Movement expresses its principled and professional position on the proposed policies for utilizing Damascene houses in the tourism sector. It emphasizes the need to adopt a balanced approach that respects the human, social, and architectural dimensions of these historic neighborhoods.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that memory is not reduced to a function, and that Damascene houses are not merely architectural elements that can be repurposed, but rather a living fabric that pulsates with the city’s memory and embodies an integrated lifestyle shaped over centuries of social and cultural interaction. Therefore, any attempt to transform these houses into tourist facilities without strict controls threatens to empty the neighborhoods of their original inhabitants and dismantle the social ties that form the essence of the old city.
The Syrian Future Movement warns against the phenomenon of “Disneyfication,” i.e., the transformation of the old city into a superficial consumer facade, presented to tourists as a packaged folkloric product, devoid of its historical and social context.
In this model, Damascene houses are reduced to attractive “Oriental decor,” while residents are excluded, and the real memory is erased in favor of a commercial stereotype!
We see here that this phenomenon not only threatens the authenticity of the place, but also creates neighborhoods devoid of real life, crowded with tourists during the day and deserted at night, devoid of residents, neighbors, and identity.
Based on our vision in the Syrian Future Movement of Damascus as a living city, not a tourist product, we emphasize the following:
- Rejecting uncontrolled tourism development, which leads to the displacement of the original residents, raising real estate prices, and transforming neighborhoods into soulless commercial spaces.
- Calling for clear urban legislation that protects the residential character of neighborhoods, prohibits real estate speculation, and imposes strict restrictions on changing the function of historic buildings.
- Involving the local community in all stages of planning and implementation, as the true bearer of the place’s memory, not merely a bystander to transformations imposed from outside.
- Encourage cultural and educational tourism that respects the uniqueness of the place and its inhabitants, and is built on interaction rather than consumption.
- Launching support programs for indigenous residents to restore and preserve their homes as residences, ensuring the continuity of life in the Old City, rather than transforming it into an open-air museum or a large hotel.
We, in the Syrian Future Movement, believe that preserving Old Damascus is not achieved by beautifying or decorating it to suit the tastes of tourists, but rather by respecting its spirit, its inhabitants, and its unique urban and social style.
We, in the Syrian Future Movement, believe that the city has not and will not be a commodity; it is a living organism, and any intervention in its fabric must be based on a deep understanding of its history, an awareness of its future, and a commitment to the interests of its residents.
We would like to clarify here that we have requested dozens of times to meet specifically with the Governor of Damascus, to no avail. This was to discuss matters with him, present ideas, and contribute effectively and supportively to the Damascus Governorate in particular, by involving a number of native Damascus residents who are concerned, informed, and knowledgeable about the details of the city, its conditions, and its circumstances over the course of decades, and the succession of eras of ancient rule, up to the new era.
