The Damascene Rose in Turin
The Syria Trust for Development is collaborating with the Musei Reali di Torino and Fondazione Santagata for the Economics of Culture on the cultural project “The Damascene Rose in Turin“. The initiative is aimed at promoting the role and importance of Syria’s cultural heritage in the Mediterranean basin, in Italy and in Turin, through one of the country’s most iconic products, the Damascene Rose, where since 2019, the practices associated with the Damascene Rose in Syria was inscribed on UNESCO Representative List. For centuries, Syrian farmers have handed down from generation to generation the knowledge and skills of cultivating and processing the famous flower, evoked in literary sources such as the Arabian Nights and praised by poets such as Shakespeare and Nizar Qabbani. In modern times, the cultivation of the Damascus Rose has its heart in the small town of Al-Mrah, on the eastern Qalamoun mountain range, in an area extending into the countryside north of Damascus. aims to facilitate dialogue and cooperation, through the sharing of experiences, where the role of cultural heritage is to promote understanding, confrontation and reconciliation between different communities.
The project is an example of cultural diplomacy that aims to facilitate dialogue and cooperation, through the sharing of experiences, where the role of cultural heritage is to promote understanding, confrontation and reconciliation between different communities.
‘The Damascene Rose in Turin’ intends to explore aspects of Syrian history, literature, music and archaeology, to discover how the path of the Rose, which leads from Damascus to the heart of Europe, is intertwined with that of so many other aspects of Syrian culture, recognising the power of heritage as a bridge for peace and healing of war-torn communities.
The project involves a series of activities:
- the planting in the Royal Gardens of 500 Damascus roses, generously donated by the Syria Trust for Development;
- a photographic exhibition dedicated to the production of the Damask rose and its uses, in the Grove of the Royal Palace
- an art installation Floral Tapestry of Craftsmanship
- a week of side events from 4 to 7 July in the spaces of the Royal Museums of Turin, including a musical concert led by the conductor of the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra and the screening of an internationally award-winning documentary.