This subproject stems from the work of the Syrian Heritage Archive Project and is dedicated to the systematic documentation of damage in the heavily destroyed old city of Aleppo.
Since 2017, damage to the most important historical monuments has been systematically recorded. Data on, among other things, the administration, history and location of buildings is being collected via regularly updated photographs and sound and film recordings. The team uses this data to prepare status reports with a quick assessment of the most important damage and an urgency assessment, together with recommendations for securing the buildings. The damage assessment is methodically based on an in-depth analysis of the European standard EN 16096 for the assessment of the condition of built cultural heritage - and thus on the empirical knowledge of monument conservation. UNESCO questionnaires for urgent damage assessment (rapid assessment) are a model and their content is adopted. The aim of the project is to gather detailed knowledge that can be used to plan reconstruction.
Since the summer of 2025, a pilot project systematically investigates a neighborhood in the north of the old town. In addition to door-to-door inspections, drone footage is also being used. The buildings are being georeferenced, sketched, photographed and described, including information on the residents. All information is being compiled in a geographic information system (GIS) and made digitally accessible.
Projectleader: Issam Ballouz (until 2020), Alaa Haddad (since 2025)
Scientific Assistants (until 2020): Rami Alafandi, Eva Al-Habib Nmeir, Alaa Haddad
Cooperationpartners: Museum für Islamische Kunst, Deutsches Archäologisches Institut
Responsible body: Freunde des Museums für Islamische Kunst im Pergamonmuseum e.V.
Sponsor: Auswärtiges Amt, Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Operation period: July 2017 to July 2020, Restart: 2025