Traditional Crafts, Heritage Promotion through Tourism and Territorial Dynamics: The Case of the Syrian City of Aleppo
Written shortly before the beginning of the dramatic events that have devastated Syria since March 2011, this article analyzes the relationship between territorial resources and tourism development in the city of Aleppo. Using a long-term historical perspective, it first explains the transformation of this age-old urban territory, whose economy, largely based on traditional crafts until the end of the 1990s, has increasingly focused, during the 2000s, on a diversification process that uses tourism to complement the further development of its rich cultural heritage. The authors then examine the role of heritage resources in the socio-economic development of the city. In conclusion, they argue that, in the current context of global competition between nations and regions, the future of Aleppo depends mainly on the capacity of local authorities and the central government to establish a mode of governance that can mobilize all stakeholders around a collective territorial development project. Clearly, the armed conflict that has devastated Syria for over two years now and led to the destruction of certain institutions could invalidate this assessment. However, the balance of power between the rebels and the government army might well lead to a political solution acceptable to all parties in the near future. As long as this solution includes a degree of regional autonomy from the central government, local stakeholders could reasonably be expected to pursue a goal of territorial development on a different basis. If this optimistic scenario comes to pass, the analysis outlined in this article will maintain its topicality.