Traditional mud-brick houses that the people of northern Syria have built for thousands of years are at risk of disappearing, as 12 years of war have emptied villages and left the buildings crumbling.
Also knows as “beehive houses”, the conical adobe structures are designed to keep cool in the blazing desert sun while their thick walls also retain warmth in the winter.
Umm Amuda Kabira village in Aleppo province is among a handful of places where residents long used to live in the small domed houses, made of mud mixed with brittle hay.
“Our village once had 3,000 to 3,500 residents and some 200 mud houses,” Mahmud Al Mheilej said, standing beside deserted homes with weeds growing out of the roofs.
Almost everyone left after heavy fighting broke out in the region, which was overrun by ISIS, the school teacher in his 50s said.
Aleppo province was the scene of fierce battles between Syrian government forces, rebels and ISIS extremists from 2012 until Russian-backed government forces gradually ousted them.
While the violence has waned in the area, instability and economic hardship have long become a fact of life across Syria.
“No more than 200 of us have returned” to the village, said Mr Mheilej, who now lives in a concrete building close by.
Inside one traditional house, cracks snaked along white walls riddled with holes.
All of the mud-brick homes have been abandoned, Mr Mheilej said, pointing at a tumbledown wall, the remnants of a collapsed house.
“There is no one left to take care of the houses and that's why they are decaying,” he said. “In time, they will disappear without a trace.”
'Born and raised' in mud houses
Syria's war broke out in 2011 and quickly escalated into a conflict that pulled in foreign powers and extremist groups.
The fighting has killed more than 500,000 people, and millions have been displaced.
“We were born and raised inside the mud houses,” said Jamal Al Ali, 66, outside the ancestral home his family was forced to abandon in nearby Haqla.
The domed structure kept inhabitants cool in the summer and warm in the winter, Mr Al Ali said as he shared a meal with his family on a straw carpet.
Local masons were among those who fled the fighting, leaving the region short of their ancestral know-how.
Issa Khodr, 58, who took refuge in neighbouring Lebanon, is one of the last Syrians with expertise in building the structures, which require regular upkeep.
With support from local charity Arcenciel, he has recreated the rustic dwellings in the Bekaa Valley, home to a large Syrian refugee population.
“I learnt the trade in the village when I was 14 because every time someone wanted to build a mud house, others would help,” said Mr Khodr, a former civil servant.
“Because of the war, the houses are disappearing, and so is our profession.”
Lebanese architect Fadlallah Dagher said the construction technique “is believed to have originated during the Neolithic period some 8,000 years ago”.
The project aims to pass on knowledge among the refugees, Mr Dagher said, so that “once they return to their devastated country, which lacks resources, they can build their own homes”.
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
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Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
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Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
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October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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AIR
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The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
