Damage Assessment

By Rami Alafandi, Issam Ballouz, Alaa Haddad

[Picture source: © 2013 Museum für Islamische Kunst, Berlin ]

State of the built heritage (November 2017)

The Khusrawiyya is severely destroyed. The northern arcade and parts of the western wing of the complex are damaged. There are parts which are still under rubble. The degree of damage is around 80%. The center of the explosion crater, produced in 2014, is located beneath the prayer room, i.e. in the domed hall of the Friday mosque, which doesn’t stand anymore. Most likely, the foundations are lost inside the inner area of the crater, while the rest of the area may contain remains of the building, perhaps sufficient for possible reconstruction. No action regarding the protection or management of the rubble has been done yet. Consequently, we suggest urgent intervention for emergency protection and rubble management (see extracts of our report below).

Figure ..: Khusrawiyya Complex, siteplan of the building parts [Picture source: © Damage Assessment Project after Giulia Annalinda Neglia/Lamia Jasser, Syrian Heritage Archive Project 2017]

Timeline

2013, July
Samaa TV report shows damage to the western part of the northern arcade of the Khusrawiyya complex.

2014, August 
Satellite imagery of ASOR report shows that an immense part of the Khusrawiyya Mosque has been destroyed by a tunnel bomb planted beneath the structure.

2014, October
Photos taken from the citadel by reporter Shady Hulwe unveil the massive destruction of the Khusrawiyya.

2017, February
Drone video by the Syrian Ministry of Tourism shows some remaining parts of the lecture hall on the south-western side of the complex.

2017, November
Photos suggest that there are still some building components under the rubble.

Figure ..: Khusrawiyya Complex, damage mapping [Picture source: © Damage Assessment Project after Giulia Annalinda Neglia/Lamia Jasser, Syrian Heritage Archive Project 2017]

Conclusion

The general classification of the Khusrawiyya complex into Recommendation Class 3 (RC3), which deals with "Major repairs on the basis of further diagnoses", is not sufficient due to the extensive loss of large parts of the complex. Therefore, we apply an additional Recommendation Class 4 (RC4) from which the "Decision on a later reconstruction", together with further related steps, is derived. Dealing with rubble and remains plays a crucial role!

Urgently recommended interventions

Emergency protection work (emergency consolidation measures):

  • Areas or parts of the property must be fenced in or otherwise secured against unauthorized entry.
  • In case of heavily damaged, structurally relevant components (masonry, pillars, etc.), support structures and fall protection devices are absolutely necessary (responsibility: civil engineer, stress analyst).
  • Remove loose material and material affected by falling down and store/stack it on site or secure it (provisionally) with suitable methods (responsibility: mason, restorer).
  • Once the masonry is damaged, it is essential to protect the exposed filling masonry against rain, since swelling processes can lead to consequential damage (e. g. cover with tarpaulin); the same applies to all water or light-sensitive objects like wall paintings, stucco, etc.

Dealing with rubble:

  • It is imperative that rubble is left on site until collection! If not possible, deposit on site in a controlled manner (open area, depot).
  • Cover the "rubble" on the ground with tarpaulin in the short-term if no immediate measures can be carried out.
  • Protect with sand or better with secondary architecture (scaffolding plus protective roof) in the long term.

Examination and clearance of explosive ordnance is mandatory before starting any work!