Cultural Memory as a Mechanism for Community Cohesion: The Case Study of Dayr Mar Elian esh-Sharqi, Qaryatayn, Syria

Loosley, E
Date: 18 February 2020
Publisher
UCL Press
Publisher DOI
https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781787354845
Abstract
In August 2015 when the monastery of Mar Elian was destroyed in Qaryatayn, Syria, it was overshadowed in the international media by the events in Palmyra several hours to the east across the Syrian desert. Whilst the concentration on the destruction of a UNESCO listed World Heritage site is entirely understandable, what the majority ...
In August 2015 when the monastery of Mar Elian was destroyed in Qaryatayn, Syria, it was overshadowed in the international media by the events in Palmyra several hours to the east across the Syrian desert. Whilst the concentration on the destruction of a UNESCO listed World Heritage site is entirely understandable, what the majority of the world overlooked was the simple fact that most people are more emotionally invested in monuments that have played a formative role in their lives. Therefore for Syrians the loss of a much-loved regional shrine can leave a bigger hole in their existence than that of an internationally significant monument which, whilst undeniably beautiful, did not play an active role in the life of their community. This paper looks at the place of the monastery of Mar Elian in the lives of the Qurwani before the Syrian Civil War and discusses its pivotal role as the religious centre of the town for all inhabitants – regardless of their confessional identity. It then considers the impact of the destruction of the shrine on local people and what the possible repercussions of this loss may be for the Qurwani in the long term.
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Classics, Ancient History, Religion and Theology

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

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© Contributors, 2020 Images © Contributors and copyright holders named in captions, 2020. The authors have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of this work. This book is published under a Creative Commons 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work; to adapt the work and to make commercial use of the work providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: Apaydin, V. (ed.). 2020. Critical Perspectives on Cultural Memory and Heritage: Construction, Transformation and Destruction. London: UCL Press. DOI: https://doi. org/10.14324/111.9781787354845 Any third-party material in this book is published under the book’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in the credit line to the material. If you would like to reuse any third-party material not covered by the book’s Creative Commons license, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © Contributors, 2020 Images © Contributors and copyright holders named in captions, 2020. The authors have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of this work. This book is published under a Creative Commons 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the work; to adapt the work and to make commercial use of the work providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: Apaydin, V. (ed.). 2020. Critical Perspectives on Cultural Memory and Heritage: Construction, Transformation and Destruction. London: UCL Press. DOI: https://doi. org/10.14324/111.9781787354845 Any third-party material in this book is published under the book’s Creative Commons license unless indicated otherwise in the credit line to the material. If you would like to reuse any third-party material not covered by the book’s Creative Commons license, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.