Stipendiat FS 2021

In addition, I found out a misinterpretation of a female figure on an ancient impression of cylinder seals. So, I am writing an article on this figure which needs to find comparisons to understand better her role. The article should be submitted as soon as possible. However, I will give a talk about this argument and my research, in general, in the Forschungkolloquium of the Department of Greek and Latin Philology on 31st of May.

As a lecturer, the University of Zurich inserted my course “Archaeology, Museums and Identities in the Middle East”. This course is rare in the European universities. It is an interdisciplinary course which deals with archaeology, history of archaeology, museology and politics. During my scholarship, I participated in the ICAANE 12 (International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East) organized by University of Bologna from 6 to 9 April 2021. I gave a talk, titled “Aleppo before the War. A Project to Archive Inscriptions dated to Ottoman Period in Aleppo Region”.

In addition, I presented a talk, “Syria 100 Years Attempting to Build a State”, in the colloquium of the Department of Religious Studies (UZH), on 26th of April. The talk deals with Syria and the complexity to found a stable state with a collective national identity. Regarding this argument but more concentrate on the past’s contribution in the national identity of Syria, I am invited by Prof. Leonardo Capezzone (University of Rome) to give a lecture in his course about the history of Islamic countries, on 18th of May.

I could realize all this because of the scholarship of ZAZH and the support offered from Zurich University by its libraries and giving free access to many online journals and publications.

Finally, I am grateful to Prof. Christoph Riedweg for his efforts and giving the chance to develop my academic experience. In addition, I thank Prof. Christoph Uehlinger for the scientific discussions and his support in the cylinder seals’ research.

I will not forget the inclusive atmosphere of the University of Zurich and the interesting conversations, discussions, and language tandem which I had with its researchers, scholars and students.