DAMASCENE DERELICTION

Ward and McLaughlin explore the long-abandoned and lamentably neglected architecture in Damascus, the oldest and continually inhabited city of Syria. Despite the mixed historic fabric, the domestic architecture of the Old Town is dominated by the period of Ottoman rule. From occupation in 1516 until the time of the French Mandate in the early 20th century, Damascus grew vastly. The city became the entrepot of the Hajj to Mecca, bringing copious trade and concomitant wealth. Building spread particularly along the caravan route of the pilgrims and clustered close to the religious center of the Umayyad Mosque.