<blockquote>The most significant feature of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is that it links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties. The Convention recognizes the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two.</blockquote><blockquote>The strategic objectives of the initiative are credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication, and communities.1</blockquote> This collection gathers a selection of Open Access resources from the World Heritage Centre, particularly those that relate to Muslim communities and their interaction with other cultures. The collection is under development. For the full body of <a href="https://www.archnet.org/authorities/3012" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNESCO</a> publications on World Heritage and other topics, consult the <a href="https://unesdoc.unesco.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNESCO Digital Library</a>. 1 UNESCO World Heritage Center. n.d. “The World Heritage Convention.” UNESCO. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/. Archived at: <a href="https://perma.cc/7USS-GL9N" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://perma.cc/7USS-GL9N</a>

UNESCO World Heritage Convention

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<blockquote>UNESCO is pleased to announce the publication of the trilogy on&nbsp;‘Architecture, Monuments and Urbanism’&nbsp;of the&nbsp;UNESCO’s&nbsp;‘Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads’, a multi-volume series which cultivates a better understanding of the rich history of the Silk Roads and their contemporary legacy and relevance. Developed jointly by UNESCO, the&nbsp;World Historical and Cultural Cities Expo, and the&nbsp;Nanjing Creative Center&nbsp;(China), this groundbreaking trilogy features contributions from internationally renowned scholars and experts in the fields of architecture and cultural exchanges along the Silk Roads.</blockquote><blockquote>By harnessing the wealth of expertise UNESCO has developed on this subject, the Thematic Collection identifies and promotes the concrete fields and elements that have facilitated and been generated from the cultural interactions and exchanges along these historic routes. Furthering the aims of the UNESCO Silk Roads Programme, the Thematic Collection promotes intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding to achieve sustainable peace and development in the current globalized world.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote>With each part dedicated to a unique theme –&nbsp;Architectural Influences, Cities along the Silk Roads,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Maritime Networks and Port Cities&nbsp;– this trilogy explores the multi-layered interactions between people and cultures along the Silk Roads. It highlights human creativity, conflicts, and natural disasters that shaped their distinctive architecture and urbanism from Eastern Asia to the Iberian Peninsula.&nbsp;</blockquote><blockquote>Part I provides an overview of urban and cultural landscapes, focusing on building typologies and their architectural evolution through knowledge exchanges in technologies and materials. Part II examines the cities along the overland Silk Roads as hubs of co-existence, discussing each at its peak within key historical periods. Part III delves into ports along the maritime Silk Routes, illustrating human resilience in advancing maritime networks and urban developments that connected continents, seas, and oceans over centuries.</blockquote><blockquote>The trilogy was led, and edited by Elena Paskaleva and Michael Turner, whose intellectual leadership and contributions as principal authors were essential to the realization of this publication Their vision brought together a distinguished group of experts in urban planning, archaeology, and architecture from around the world, offering a truly global perspective on the architectural and urban heritage of the Silk Roads.</blockquote> Source: “Publication of ‘Architecture, Monuments and Urbanism’ Volume of the ‘Thematic Collection of the Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads’ | Silk Roads Programme,” accessed October 31, 2025, https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/content/publication-architecture-monuments-and-urbanism-volume-thematic-collection-cultural. Archived at: <a href="https://perma.cc/5V2U-NGEN" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://perma.cc/5V2U-NGEN</a>.

Architecture, Monuments, and Urbanism: Three volumes from UNESCO's Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads series

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Bruno Deslandes

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Beit Ghazaleh 3D Scan, 2017

Syria

Ghazala House ( بيت غزالة / Beit Ghazaleh), built in the seventeenth century, is located in the extramural Judayda Quarter of old Aleppo. It was named after the Ghazaleh family who owned it for about two hundred years.&nbsp; The Ottoman-era courtyard house is unique in its size and rich ornamentation. Each window in the courtyard has a stone lintel with carved floral designs. The walls are covered with alternating black and white stone panels up to the second story. The rooms have wooden ceilings painted with floral motifs. Made by local craftsmen, the panels display many painted inscriptions presenting a mix of popular sayings, mystic poetry, and biblical psalms. Ghazala House is the only house in Aleppo that has its own baths (hammam). These are located in the west wing. The tepidarium section of the baths has a set of columns with muqarnas capitals.&nbsp; From 2007 to 2011, the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums conducted a major campaign of restoration to transform Ghazala House into a museum dedicated to the memory of the city of Aleppo. In parallel, descendants of the Ghazaleh family launched a scientific study of the House in 2010. The house, which had been on the front line between 2012 to 2016, was looted and damaged during the Syrian Civil War. -Mark Gazaleh, 2020 Sources: Alafandi, Rami.&nbsp;"Report on the Missing Wooden Interiors ('ajami rooms) of the historic house Bayt Ghazala in Aleppo/Syria." September, 2018.&nbsp;https://lisa.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/binaries/content/10117/report_on_the_missing_wooden_interiors___ajami_rooms_of_the_.pdf?t=1545214051, accessed on 5 August, 2020. Archived at&nbsp;<a href="https://perma.cc/A4VK-ZEAL" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://perma.cc/A4VK-ZEAL</a> David, Jean-Claude et François Cristofoli.&nbsp;Alep, la maison Ghazalé. Histoire et devenirs. Paris: Editions Parentheses, 2019. David, Jean-Claude. "La guerre d’Alep 2012-2016. Destruction de la maison Ghazalé." ArchéOrient. March 9, 2018.&nbsp;https://archeorient.hypotheses.org/8296. Archived at&nbsp;<a href="https://perma.cc/ZN8H-UXW3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://perma.cc/ZN8H-UXW3</a>. Gonnella, Julia.&nbsp;Ein christlich-orientalisches Wohnhaus des 17. Jahrhunderts aus Aleppo (Syrien). Das 'Aleppo-Zimmer' im Museum für Islamische Kunst, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin - Preußischer Kulturbesitz. Mainz: P. von Zabern, 1996. Al-Homsi, Fayez.&nbsp;Old Aleppo, 127-128. Damascus: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Publishing, 1983. RC Heritage.&nbsp;Beit Ghazaleh (maison du XVIIè s.) à Alep [ Syrie ] étude historique et architecturale / historical and architectural analysis [working document]. 2010-2019.&nbsp; Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums.&nbsp;Interactive Map of Conflicted Archaeological Sites.&nbsp;www.dgam.gov.sy&nbsp;[Accessed 5 February 2018].

Bayt Ghazaleh

UNESCO 

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