Introduction
Heritage management is at the epicenter of community cohesion and identity construction in modern Syria. Founded as an independent nation-state in 1946, after a significant era of Ottoman and French colonization, the Syrian Arab Republic manages millennia of Syrian heritage, from some of the world’s oldest continually occupied cities to transforming expressions of intangible culture. Modern Syria is negotiating the dialectic between tradition and innovation, utilizing the legacy of the past to meet the challenges of the future.
Syria’s vast archaeological heritage is managed by the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. The DGAM was founded soon after Syrian independence and serves an integral role in managing the nation’s archaeological patrimony and structuring heritage narratives. The national narrative is one of legitimization through antiquity and the assertion of national identity in the postcolonial era....
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Zobler, K.A. (2014). Syrian Archaeological Heritage Management: “Dead Cities” and Living Communities. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_1945
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