Damascus, Oct. 21 (SANA) A fair showcasing food products and traditional handicrafts by 35 rural women opened Tuesday at al-Qutayfah Citadel in Damascus countryside, about a year after the historic site reopened to visitors.
The fair, titled “The Citadel: Roots That Grow and My Hands Create,” runs through Oct. 22. Organized by the Damascus and Damascus Countryside Agriculture Directorate with the al-Qutayfah City Council and the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, it is supervised by the Kareem Foundation for Human Development.
The exhibition features rural food products, textiles and traditional handicrafts. It aims to help women market their goods, promote their skills and create economic opportunities while preserving the region’s cultural heritage.
Iman al-Sheikha, head of the Extension and Rural Development Division at the al-Qutayfah Agriculture Department, said the fair celebrates the citadel’s return to the local community after residents were unable to visit it for years.
The site had been used as military barracks under the ousted regime before reopening to visitors about a year ago. The fair is the first event held there since its return to public use, she said.
Heritage and local livelihoods
Zaid Abu Assaf, director of the Damascus and Damascus Countryside Agriculture Directorate, said the fair gives rural women a platform to showcase and market their products and exchange expertise. He said their work reflects the region’s distinctive character and traditions.
Culture Minister Mohammed Yassin al-Saleh said reopening archaeological sites to the public helps reconnect them with local communities and preserve tangible and intangible heritage. He said al-Qutayfah Citadel, along with the area’s historic khan and mosque, were among the landmarks receiving attention as part of restoration efforts.
The Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums prioritizes restoration and rehabilitation according to each site’s historical significance and the extent of damage, while seeking a balance among governorates, al-Saleh said.
Al-Qutayfah Citadel lies northeast of the city of al-Qutayfah within a historic complex built during the tenure of Sinan Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Damascus, from 1585 to 1588. The rectangular complex, built of white dressed stone, comprises several sections documented by travelers over the centuries.
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