Spaces & Flows: Ninth International Conference on Urban and ExtraUrban Studies

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of the archeological city of Maaloula and its natural environment, which enabled the authorities in charge of archeological sites in the Syrian Arab Republic in 1976 to inscribe the city in UNESCO provisional list, and the city together with its historic surroundings in the same list on 8th June 1999. The much cited Maaloula is a town that exists to the north of Damascus, possessing properties that can rarely be found in other cities. It is characterized by its location at the foot of a hill between two mountains of the Qalamoun chain, bordered by two valleys that convey to a vast plain of green. The buildings overlap and intertwine at the foot of the hill, constituting a unique architectural tissue. It is equally distinguished by its caves, famous monasteries, ancient churches, special religious days, and the Aramaic language that is still a living medium of communication there.As a result of urban expansion, and environmental and climate degradation in most of these areas, the mountain chains, hills and green valley present a number of issues, with respect to the invasion of an urban style that is alien to the scene both visually and naturally, a pollution of environment due to the inadequacy of infrastructures, and other problems, all this being combined to the current situation in Syria.