NAQSH: Empowering Youth to Revive Cultural Industries

Douroub: Promoting Syrian Intangible Cultural Heritage | Aleppo 2026

Ettijahat – Independent Culture has launched the NAQSH initiative, which focuses on empowering young people in the city of Aleppo and its rural areas to revive heritage-based cultural industries, within the framework of the Douroub programme.

The initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of young women and men working in cultural industries by developing their skills in designing and managing initiatives, and enabling them to revive traditional crafts and connect them to contemporary contexts, contributing to strengthening social cohesion and supporting the local economy.

The initiative targets 16 young women and men residing in the city of Aleppo and its rural areas, from different cultural and social backgrounds. It works to support 8 youth-led local initiatives by developing their ideas, strengthening their presence in society, and contributing to the creation of employment opportunities, in addition to documenting and safeguarding 8 heritage-based cultural industries that are at risk of disappearing.

The initiative focuses on individual cultural industries and excludes the fields of performing arts, music, and digital heritage, while adopting an applied approach that allows for testing working models that can be developed and replicated in other Syrian contexts.

Selected Initiatives

Esraa Abdeen Agha – Textiles and Handwoven Carpets

She works in textiles and handwoven carpets. She leads the “Jacquard” initiative, which aims to develop heritage textile products and transform them into contemporary multi-use products, in a way that supports local crafts and strengthens their presence in the market.

Ghadir Walid Al-Zanabili – Mosaic

She works in mosaic art. She leads the “Aram” initiative, which aims to revive this art form through a contemporary approach that combines authenticity and innovation, by producing artworks and training interested people in its techniques, in a way that contributes to creating employment opportunities.

Hakobe Gel Akopian – Traditional Jewellery

He works in traditional jewellery using silver and copper. His initiative focuses on reviving the handmade production techniques of heritage jewellery by developing craft skills across all stages of production, from design to final execution.

Hussam Mahmoud Mheimed – Arabic Calligraphy

He works in the field of Arabic calligraphy (Aleppine Jali script). He leads an initiative that aims to revive this art form, which is at risk of disappearing, by reintroducing it in everyday commercial signage, in addition to documenting its remaining examples, in a way that restores its presence in public space and creates contemporary demand for it.

Khawla Ahmad Mahouk – Mosaic

She works in mosaic and artistic recycling applications. She is developing the “Armaghan” project, which reintroduces Aleppine mosaic through contemporary small products suitable for daily use and gifts, in a way that amplifies the spread of the craft and brings it closer to everyday life.

Mohammad Al-Baraa Rawas – Handwoven Carpets

He works in handwoven carpet production within an inherited family workshop. Through his initiative, he seeks to transfer this craft to a new generation by training young people in weaving techniques and loom work, while improving production quality and creating local employment opportunities.

Mohammad Mazen Naanaa – Handmade Leather Industries

He works in handmade leather industries. His initiative aims to revive this craft, which declined during the years of war, through producing leather products and training new interested people, in a way that enhances the sustainability of the craft and promotes the culture of its use.

Roaa Tutunji – Heritage Products and Fashion

She works in the design of heritage products and fashion. She is developing the “Thread from Memory” project, which seeks to launch a brand that blends contemporary fashion with Aleppine heritage, while training women in craft production to enhance income opportunities and sustainability.

Selection Committee Statement

The committee met on 20 April 2026 to review the submitted applications, after they had been individually evaluated by the members of the selection committee. After discussing all the applications collectively and in depth, we are pleased to select 8 initiatives from the city of Aleppo to benefit from this initiative during 2026.

The selection process took into account a number of key factors, including the diversity of project themes, the clarity of the submitted proposals, and the expected impact of these projects on their communities. The committee also took into account the particular nature of this initiative as a new and experimental experience, through which it seeks to explore the most effective approaches and understand what may or may not succeed in this field, in a way that allows for its future development.

The committee observed a notable diversity in the fields of cultural industries addressed by the selected projects, reflecting the richness of this sector and its potential. It also noted an urgent need to create a link between the younger generation and the older generation that still preserves these industries, to contribute to the transfer of knowledge and experience and enhance their continuity across generations.

The committee affirms that this initiative is a pioneering step in this field, and serves as an exploratory path through which it seeks to identify the best ways of working to support cultural industries in this context.

The committee values the great efforts made by all applicants and encourages them to continue working on developing their projects in the field of cultural industries, given its growing importance and its vital role in social and economic development.

Basma Husseini

Heba Al-Khalaf

Dima Dayoub

This programme is designed with the support of the Cultural Protection Fund of the British Council and the Asfari Foundation, in collaboration with Mashrou BY DEFAULT.

For any enquiries related to the Douroub programme, please contact us at: douroub@ettijahat.org