Of Representation and Reclamation

The Political Appropriation of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus under Al-Sharaa

Abstract

Mirroring the model of Garroum Pla, in this analysis the urban space of Damascus is not understood as a reduced matter of streets, squares, and buildings, but rather as full with meaning and resonance, integral to the construction of identities, their modes of expression and the information of ordinary life. More specifically, and following Charles Tripp, public spaces like streets, mosques and squares are read as key spatial nodes of state power. Occupying public spaces has formed part of the strategy of oppositions against regimes during the Arab Spring; most famously on Tahrir Square in Cairo. In Syria, the occupation of public spaces by protesters, including the Umayyad Mosque, did not prove to be a viable long-term option as Assad’s regime early and violently suppressed such civil disobedience. The surveillance and crack down of protesters were particularly prevalent in Damascus, at the heart of the power of the regime. When protesters shouted anti-Assad slogans outside the Umayyad Mosque in March 2011, they were quickly dispersed by security forces and orchestrated counter protesters.