In the heart of a healing Damascus, creativity has carved out an unlikely refuge. A once-abandoned building – left skeletal and silent – has been reborn as a radiant hub for artistic expression, thanks to a two-week exhibition led by the Madad Art Foundation.
Designed in 2008 to resemble a Damascene rose, the Massar building had stood untouched for years, a monument to halted ambitions. Now, it has been transformed into an immersive showcase of resilience and imagination, featuring the powerful works of 29 rising Syrian artists.
Path is the first major exhibition of its kind since the fall of the Assad regime, offering a platform for art and a sanctuary for long-stifled voices.
We are still here, say Syrian creatives
Residents glimpsed what the country’s artistic landscape has to offer as they walked around the maze of intricate installations and unconventional creations, inside the Massar Rose building for the first time.
A sign by the Madad institute read: “We are here, we are still here, and we are from here. A path of 29 stories, similar to stories of all Syrians.”
Hundreds of visitors passed a mural named Accumulation in the vast space. The mural showcases four abstract paintings with burning candles that symbolise the essence of giving. The pieces, created by Dalaa Jalanbo, reflect the conflict of peace and forgiveness versus the burdens of history.
Jalanbo told The National: “We would often walk past this location and gaze in from the outside, but we could never enter or experience it from the inside. This space is crucial for us now. It should be a place of art.”
Excited Damascus residents took selfies and photos next to the artworks, which include a display of 300 suspended clay swords by artist Rala Tarabishi.
“I carried my anger and pain for years and used [the swords] as armour to protect myself, or so I thought,” Tarabishi explained. “My journey to reach a clear visual definition of forgiveness led me to realms of anger and hatred towards what hurts. These realms took the shape of several swords embedded in the ground, representing the situations we ultimately ended up forgiving or failing to pardon.”
She added: “When you embed your sword into the earth instead of using it as a weapon, you’re putting an end to the fight.”
Tarabishi is one of a crop of artists taught by Syrian artist Buthayna Ali, founder of the Madad Art Foundation, who died last year.
“Dr Ali is and will always be my main source of inspiration,” she said. “She always made us continue our fight as artists to show the world we’re here and deliver our messages through our work. Path is a gift from us, her 'children', to her for all the guidance and love she gave us.”
'We were not able to express ourselves'
Artist Zeinab Al-Abrar’s mixed media on canvas installation called (To) is another tale of forgiveness, as Syria look towards building a new future.
“This painting embodies the journey of inner peace, as it extends over seven metres of raw canvas, extending from the wall to the floor,” Al-Abrar said. "The random words reflect the emotional chaos and experiences since childhood, while the wrapped lower part symbolises the past.”
Telling this story in a once-uninhabitable location is a testament to the will of the country’s rising generation, she added.
“I never imagined we would be able to use this place. This should have happened years ago, but the place was not for us, like lots of things that were not for us. Now is our time to work on the country, on ourselves. We have a big responsibility. After the fall of the [Assad] regime, all the symbolism, life is now coming out, we were not able to express ourselves,” said Al-Abrar.
Fouad Khattar’s Sailing in the Storm installation attracts crowds with its complicated paper sculpture display that features a single boat carrying several smaller boats, surrounded by knives falling on it from all sides.
Attempting to symbolise the feeling of helplessness that a person experiences when they want to help others but cannot, Khattar’s work invites viewers to contemplate this human condition from afar.
The artist, 23, said: “The boat is similar to us. We are simple people but have a very complicated core. We are used to the idea that we will get somewhere. People see the boat and think about travelling. In this project I wanted to convey the fact that we are powerless to help those people on the boat.”
Two sisters, Razan and Malaz, were standing in front of a work called Hidden Dimension. They speak as one creative mind that they call “Orabi”, using the imagery of trees as a metaphorical exploration of visual evolution and the transformative power of human perception. Orabi says: “Orabi is one mind made by two, Orabi is that mind space. They say creativity is about 'thinking outside the box'. Orabi believes there is no box.”
'Is it worth carrying the burdens of hatred and regret?'
Artist Judi Chakhachirou’s Elapse provokes a deeper question, the artist says. “Ultimately, we must ask ourselves: Is it worth carrying the burdens of hatred and regret?”
Chakhachirou’s installation contemplates loss, regret and forgiveness. The viewer finds themselves within a vibrating circular space, at the centre of which a gravestone hangs from a rope, representing the connection between the present and the past. Chakhachirou added: “Every day, new stories are written about people who have departed us in various ways.”
Artist Hala Nahar reflects shared experiences and hopes for a better life in Syria in a video installation called Rebirth.
She told The National that feelings of hope were renewed or born after several events, including the fall of the Assad government. “Before the fall of the regime, my dream was to be able to express through art what we feel and our suffering in this country, without fearing for ourselves and our families.”
Kareem Al-Khateeb’s Us/As a Divided Camel is a surreal take, using four paintings representing the body parts of a camel, on the struggle of the human spirit. This artwork highlights resilience and adaptability in the face of challenges.
Al-Khateeb said: “My work embodies the suffering a person faces on their path to tolerance with their surroundings, such as society, country, friends and loved ones.
“They will undoubtedly be faced with two choices. The first is to not compromise and sacrifice, thus remaining a prisoner of themselves. The second, which also entails suffering, is a long series of sacrifices of ideas, convictions and other things to identify with their surroundings.”
As Syria emerges from more than 50 years of oppression, it is at a crossroads of tradition and transformation. Art serves as a means of healing and a reflection of its troubled history while offering a glimmer of hope for a brighter future.
Using the remains of a landmark from the Assad era as an open-air art gallery is an inspiring start towards reviving Syria’s cultural landscape.
The Path exhibition runs until April 18
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
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Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
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Price: From Dh590,000
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Greatest of All Time
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RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
UAE v Zimbabwe A
Results
Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
Stage results
1. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 4:39:05
2. Michael Matthews (AUS) Team BikeExchange 0:00:08
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma same time
4. Jack Haig (AUS) Bahrain Victorious s.t
5. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe s.t
6. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates s.t
7. David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ s.t
8. Sergio Higuita Garcia (COL) EF Education-Nippo s.t
9. Bauke Mollema (NED) Trek-Segafredo s.t
10. Geraint Thomas (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers s.t
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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The specs
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Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
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The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
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