Syria

In the mid 1980s,&nbsp;<a href="http://archnet.org/authorities/33" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Michel Écochard</a>&nbsp;donated his archives, then located at his offices in&nbsp;Paris, to the&nbsp;<a href="https://archnet.org/collections/awards" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Award for&nbsp;Architecture</a> in Geneva. Award&nbsp;staff traveled to Paris and made a selection of materials to archive in&nbsp;Geneva.&nbsp;These included around 500 plans, 1500 slides and large-format&nbsp;positive films, 10,000 negatives in large format and 35-millimeter film strips&nbsp;(often printed in various formats), in black and white and color, 50 reports,&nbsp;books and notes, and a collection of magazine articles and news clippings about&nbsp;the man and his work.&nbsp;In his later years, Écochard compiled a series of albums, based on his own photography of both cities and famous sites in general, as well as of his own architectural, planning and archaeological projects. Archnet is presenting these as copies of the originals&nbsp;so as to give more insight into the author. As Écochard was a keen traveler and photographer, the&nbsp;collection includes many general city and landscape views as well as&nbsp;documentation on planning, architectural, and restoration projects he was&nbsp;involved in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe.&nbsp; In order to facilitate scholars' access to the material, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.akdn.org/architecture" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Award for Architecture</a>&nbsp;gifted the Michel Ecochard Archive to the&nbsp;<a href="https://libraries.mit.edu/akdc/collections/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Aga Khan Documentation Center</a>, MIT&nbsp;Libraries.&nbsp;A representative&nbsp;selection of this archive is in the process of being digitized and made&nbsp;available in this collection. To find out more about the collection, <a href="https://archivesspace.mit.edu/repositories/5/resources/1262" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">consult archivesspsace.mit.edu</a>.

Michel Écochard Archive

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large format B & W negative

ecochard in plane 1968

 Hama

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Bloudan, panoramic views. Panoramas of multiple shots

black-and-white print

Bloudan Panorama

Hama is located north of Homs on the Orontes River. Unlike Homs, Hama situates itself on the river, as it is a vital lifeline to the city that borders the desert. Its archeological history dates back to the fifth millennium with Neolithic and Chalcolthic ruins within the citadel mound. It was a central city to several kingdoms including: Mitannian, Aramaean, Assyrian and Roman. In 636 when Arab Muslims took over Hama and the subsequent Islamic empires influenced the development of the city's urban and architectural form - as it became a famous manufacturer of silk and major trade center on caravan routes. The city's unique geographic location, on the Orontes while facing the desert, created a distinctive architectural form. The open streets and riverside houses expose gardens and shaded terraces into public realms while interiors enclose private spaces from the harsh environment on the edges. The buildings of Hama are similar to the stone ones of Aleppo, particularly the Ottoman structures. The many important architectural sites of Hama include: the Roman water wheels and aqueducts, Jami' Hama al-Kabir (the Great Mosque, founded in 636-7), and the 18th century Ottoman Azem Palace. These sites in addition to smaller mosques and khans form the city that occupies the heart of Syria. Sources: Ball, Warwick. 1994. Syria A Historical and Architectural Guide. New York: Interlink Books, 97-99. <a href="http://www.homsonline.com/EN/Citeis/Hama.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">http://www.homsonline.com/EN/Citeis/Hama.htm </a>

Hama

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Bloudan
Syria

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Bloudan

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