Dr. AlMalik: ICESCO Fully Supports the Project and Leads Initiatives to Protect Islamic World Heritage

On Tuesday, 2 December 2025, the International Conference “Reviving the Waqf Library in Aleppo: Restoring History to Build the Future” was launched, held under the auspices of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) at the Arab Scientific Heritage Institute at the University of Aleppo in Syria. The opening was attended by Dr. Mohammad Abu Al-Khair Shukri, Syrian Minister of Endowments, and Mr. Mohammed Yassin Saleh, Minister of Culture, alongside a select group of experts in heritage preservation, calligraphy, and manuscripts.

The two-day Conference is a part of an integrated project, led by ICESCO and several Syrian national institutions, to revive the Waqf Library in Aleppo. The project focuses on the use of historic buildings and schools, and the consolidation of surviving heritage library collections. It also aims to restore Aleppo’s authentic cultural identity by recovering tangible heritage, digitizing manuscripts, and enhancing the city’s scholarly prominence in the Islamic world and on the international scale.

In a recorded statement presented during the opening session, Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, ICESCO Director General, affirmed the Organization’s commitment to supporting the project with all available resources. He expressed his hope that the project would include the rehabilitation of damaged schools and heritage complexes in Syria and their scientific and cultural utilization.

Dr. AlMalik highlighted ICESCO’s extensive experience in supporting cultural and heritage institutions across its Member States through pioneering programs designed to protect tangible and intangible heritage, equip museums, and establish centers that preserve collective memory. He further emphasized that these efforts have culminated in the creation of the Islamic World Heritage Center and the Center for Calligraphy and Manuscripts within the Organization.

The Conference is attended by an ICESCO delegation that includes Dr. Idham Hanash, Head of the Center for Calligraphy and Manuscripts, and Dr. Adham Hamawiya, Expert at ICESCO’s Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers.

The Conference program includes seven scientific sessions, featuring experts and researchers in the fields of heritage and manuscript preservation. These sessions will discuss ways to utilize historical buildings in service of the Waqf Library, rehabilitate associated buildings, and review Aleppo’s historical roles in heritage, sciences, and urban development.