In the midst of profoundly difficult times, we have spearheaded a quiet heritage revival initiative across all parts of the country, involving Syrian Christians of all backgrounds with powerful legacies to share. Syrian Christian Heritage: Legacy and Impact draws on the past to inform a dynamic present that we hope will inspire a future of Syrian Christian heritage revival.
What is distinct about this book is the approach to heritage gathering and revival: from, through and for the community. Across every part of Syria, over one hundred young people identified, documented, synthesized, edited and archived hundreds of hours of videos, photos, documents and audio files of their local Christian heritage. They also actively shared, disseminate and revived this heritage in their communities.
We invite readers through the photos, stories and historical accounts and personal testimonies to connect with Syrian Christian heritage as a multisensory experience, through which you are drawn to share in the moments of elation, pain, resistance and hope.
In this book, you will visit churches you may be encountering for the first time, and take part in popular feasts, processions, and memorials celebrated across the country at all hours of the day. Through this book, we invite you to go on pilgrimages that evoke hope and trauma, that are both affirming and unsettling. Over the course of the pages of this book, you are invited to partake in the resurrecting of ancient practices, relive old memories, cook and bake long forgotten recipes, re-enact solemn moments, and breath life into long lost festivals.
This book contributes to the safeguarding of the Syrian Christian heritage for future generations, whether they are in Syria or in other parts of the world. It extends an invitation to readers to share the burden of the responsibility of heritage revival as the greatest safeguard against its disappearance.
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