Over the past four years, RehabiMed has been working in Raqqa, specifically in Tell Baya’a, on the preservation of the archaeological site of the Bronze Age city of Tuttul and on the rehabilitation of the buildings known as the “German Mission”, which had hosted the excavation campaigns prior to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. This project has been carried out jointly with Heritage for Peace and funded by the British Council.
By the end of 2024, at the time of the fall of the Al-Assad regime, the rehabilitation works were almost complete. Initially, the aim of rehabilitating the Mission was to provide support services to refugees from the Tell Baya’a camp. In early 2025, most refugees returned to their places of origin across Syria and, as a result, the proposed functions were no longer relevant. For this reason, it became necessary to identify new social and cultural functions that would ensure the sustainability of the rehabilitated complex, and it was decided to transform this large space into a community cultural centre to serve the local population. With this new purpose, the various spaces were adapted to host training activities in traditional craft heritage, areas for cultural activities, and two exhibition spaces: one dedicated to displaying objects of local folklore and the other to the interpretation of the archaeological site of Tuttul.
Throughout 2025, 20 young people were trained in traditional crafts (saj bread production, carpet weaving, traditional zarab making and embroidery), providing them with the skills necessary for professional activity. Educational and community participation activities were also organised to raise awareness among local residents about their cultural heritage and to involve them in its preservation. At the end of 2025, the project was formally completed with the inauguration of the two planned permanent exhibitions. Today, Raqqa has a very active cultural centre, although the recent occupation of Kurdish territory by government forces raises doubts about its long-term continuity.
