notes.husk.org/likes images.

UNHCR TRACKS | Syria’s Landmarks Restored in Miniature

In Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp a group of Syrian artists is working with basic tools and materials sourced from around the camp. They are using local stone, polystyrene and discarded wood, to build models and sculptures of iconic sites including Palmyra and the Krak des Chevaliers castle in Homs. “We chose this project to highlight what is happening in Syria, because many of these sites are under threat or have already been destroyed,” says project coordinator Ahmad Hariri, from Dara’a.

Mahmoud Hariri, 25, was an art teacher and painter in Syria before seeking refuge in Za’atari in 2013. “When I first arrived I didn’t think I would continue my work as I only expected to be here for a week or two. But when I realised it would be years, I knew I had to start again or lose my skills.”

Mahmoud built a model of Palmyra using clay and wooden kebab skewers. While working on it, he learned that the site had fallen under the control of armed groups.

“I’m very worried about what is happening. This site represents our history and culture, not just for Syrians but all of humanity. If it is destroyed it can never be rebuilt.”