The show “Syria – Against Oblivion” in the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum shows the country before the war. It reminds refugees of their old homeland and all of us of what was suppressed by the horrors in Ukraine.
Diversity of religions: This photo shows the library of the Al Faransch Synagogue in Damascus
For almost four months, images of bombs and Destruction, death and escape from Ukraine the world. The fact that the war that the Assad regime is waging in Syria has been going on for eleven years is becoming less important. Bombed cities, cultural sites destroyed by the terrorist militia IS – these images have shaped the impression of Syria for years.
The current exhibition “Syria – Against Oblivion” in the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne tells of a completely different Syria with a vibrant everyday life, traditional art, the coexistence of different cultures and religions.
“The main goal is not to talk about the war,” says archaeologist Jabbar Abdullah, who curated the exhibition. In recent years, only the horrors have been reported, but his homeland stands for so much more. “We want to show a different Syria and give Syrians a positive memory of their homeland.”
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The curator tells of historic artefacts from the earliest history of mankind – on loan from other German collections-, calligraphs, representing contemporary art, visitors learn about the different dialects and styles of dress in Damascus, Aleppo and Raqqa – and about the tradition of the major religions.
A special focus is on Judaism. “It has a long tradition in Syria,” says Abdullah, “unfortunately, Judaism hasn't been a big issue for decades.” In 1947, pogroms against Jews took place in Syria, and in the early 1990s many left the country when the government allowed them to leave the country. Today, the only synagogue in the country has survived in Damascus.
Student in the Arab Spring
Jabbar Abdullah, now 32 years old, was growing up near Raqqa and studying at the university in Aleppo when the Arab Spring hit Syria and the regime brutally crushed student protests. In 2013 he fled to Egypt, in Alexandria he completed his studies with a master's degree. “Europe wasn't an issue for me back then,” he says.
But after the military coup, the security situation in the country deteriorated rapidly. Abdullah traveled to Bulgaria via Turkey, where he stayed for a year before coming to Cologne in 2014. He recorded his experiences in the book “Raqqa am Rhein”, published in 2020.
“We are hopeless “: the archaeologist Jabbar Abdullah
Suddenly in a new society
What memories does he have of life in Syria before the violence? “I started excavating in my village as a child,” says Jabbar Abdullah. This time was associated with big dreams, of a future in his home country. “Suddenly you're living in a new social system,” he says.
It's natural for him to adapt, to integrate , but in some situations, even after eight years, he is still a stranger to the customs of everyday life in Germany: “On birthdays, everyone stands or sits in small groups, in Syria everyone sits together around a large table.”
Attacks on culture
The exhibition title “Against Oblivion” aims to ensure that the ever-present horror images of the present make people forget what came before – but also that many people know little about the country before the war. A fact that many now do too with a view to the Ukraine.
While the terrorist militias of the so-called Islamic State destroyed the Unesco World Heritage Site in the Syrian oasis city of Palmyra between 2015 and 2017, including the Tetrapylon built by the Romans and the Baal Temple, Russian missiles are now targeting the cultural sites of Ukraine. With destroyed  ;Cultural heritage also dwindles memories of history and tradition.
A cork model of the Temple of Baal in Palmyra , which was destroyed by the IS terrorist militias in 2015
Jabbar Abdullah has now acquired German citizenship. A few years ago he said he wanted to return home after the war to help rebuild the country. There is not much left of these plans.
“We are hopeless,” he says today. He does not believe in an end to the Assad regime, the political influences on the country, which is currently threatened with another conflict with Turkey, are too strong.
It is important to help from outside, in private initiative to set up schools and kindergartens and ensure education. “We have to save this young generation, because they will be very important for Syria in 20 years,” says Jabbar Abdullah.
With regard to the war in Ukraine, he shares the “great concern” that the situation in his home country will continue to slip out of the sight of international politics. “It's great what Germany is doing for the people from Ukraine who are fleeing the war,” says Abdullah.
Mass in the Greek Orthodox Church of Izra in southern Syria
Unbureaucratic help, access to work and language courses, accommodation in apartments instead of in mass accommodation – these are measures that were taken in 2015 rarely existed for refugees from the Arab world. Abdullah believes there is a risky difference: “If help only applies to certain groups, I don't feel like I belong.”
The exhibition “Syria – Against Oblivion” is in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum until the 11th. September 2022 and will be supplemented by a supporting program with various lectures and workshops.