DECISION-MAKING METHODOLOGY BETWEEN REVITALISATION AND REHABILITATION OF WORLD HERITAGE CITY CENTERS. CASE STUDY: THE ANCIENT CITY OF ALEPPO (SYRIA)

Abstract. The ancient city of Aleppo is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It may have been inhabited in the sixth millennium BC and it is a World Heritage City since 1986. Aleppo was severely damaged during the Syrian conflict. Therefore, the paper explores the adequate frameworks that are needed to tackle the emerging challenges of conservation in complicated situation after conflicts. As any conservation action starts with a decision, conservation standers adopted since the early twentieth century acknowledge the need for decisions to be informed through the best available scientific evidence. This paper proposes an analysis of the methodology used for the evaluation of damages caused by war in Aleppo and suggests decision-making tools DMT validated through a pilot project to guide post-conflict revitalization efforts. Within this framework, this paper analyzed the DMT in the rehabilitation of a Souk in the historic commercial center as the pilot project implementation. The project was done by 'Aga Khan Foundation' in partnership with 'Directorate General of antiquities and museums' in Syria and different national stakeholders. The success of the pilot project within the expected timeframe, materials, cost, and the souk regaining its function and vitality was recognized as a validation of the credibility and validity of the methodology adopted. The resulted data (plans, 3d scanning, etc.) are tools for decision-makers in the field of rehabilitation. The methodology can be replicated by all actors in the fields of conservation, whether in Aleppo or any other historical site.