On October 18, 2025, the Aga Khan Documentation Center, in collaboration with the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT, hosted the international symposium, “Grassroots Initiatives in Cultural Heritage Preservation.” The gathering brought together scholars and practitioners from Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, and Kosovo to address an urgent question: In the absence of state and institutional support, how can cultural heritage be protected, what role do local communities play, and how can we learn from their efforts to better support them?

The symposium offered a rich and deeply moving exchange of experiences. Presentations by Kristin Parker, Ruba Kasmo, Florina Jerliu, Hiba Alkhalaf, Zaydoon Zaid, Shatha Safi, Hiba Omari, Mehiyar Kathem, Suha Hasan, Stephenie Mulder, and Nada Al Hassan reflected both the profound challenges and the enduring hope that define this work. Across diverse contexts marked by conflict, sanctions, economic hardship, and political instability, speakers demonstrated how grassroots actors continue to preserve archives, document historic sites, safeguard crafts, and transmit memory—often with limited funding and little formal recognition.

A central theme emerged clearly: when institutional frameworks falter, communities themselves become the primary custodians of heritage. Their efforts are driven not only by professional commitment but by personal connection, collective memory, and a deep sense of responsibility toward place.

Beyond individual case studies, the symposium created space for critical reflection. The discussion session focused on how collective experience can meaningfully give back to the communities at the heart of this work.

The symposium was complemented by a visit to the exhibition Ink, Stone, and Silver Light: A Century of Cultural Heritage Preservation in Aleppo in the Maihaugen Gallery. The exhibition traces over a century of civic engagement in Aleppo, illustrating how local initiatives have long shaped preservation efforts.

Together, the symposium and exhibition underscored a shared message: local communities are the primary custodians and true preservers of cultural heritage, and the future of heritage preservation depends on strengthening—rather than overshadowing—the voices of those to whom that heritage belongs.

Watch a recording of the presentations at archnet.org