Écochard: Damascus Album (Part One of Two Parts)

Michel Écochard compiled a series of albums, some on particular projects or work themes, others more focused on particular places. Attached to the Service des antiquités in Syria in 1932, he managed a range of restoration projects of Islamic monuments in Damascus in the 1930s and 1940s. Included is imagery of the city and its development through time, and particularly its water systems. The album begins with a list of monuments restored under Écochard’s management and a list of other monuments visited or consolidated.

The Damascus album illustrates work he had undertaken in the city and more generally his interest in its history and archaeology. For the most part it is composed of his own photography; occasionally there are images from colleagues and state authorities, and copies of some postcards. Moreover, it demonstrates his interest in photography in general and the influence on planning that his interest in aviation and aerial photography would have. He has given brief captions to pages where necessary. The album comprises a total of 165 pages.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture

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