The Presidential Library opened exhibition about the rich cultural and natural heritage of Russia in Syria

The Presidential Library, subordinate to the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation, has formed an exhibition "Introduction to the Russian Federation: World Heritage on the Map of Russia" for residents of the Syrian Arab Republic. The exposition was presented on October 17, 2022 at the Congress Palace in Damascus as part of a series of events held by the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. 

The grand opening of the exhibition “Introducing the Russian Federation: World Heritage on the Map of Russia” took place on October 19, 2022. It was donated to the Syrian Ministry of Culture at the event.

The event was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Syrian Arab Republic Alexander Yefimov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Syrian settlement Alexander Lavrentiev, Head of the Logistics Department of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Lunkov, Director General of the Presidential Library Yury Nosov, Minister of Culture of Syria Ms. Lubana Mushawah, President of Damascus University Professor Muhammad Usama Al-Jabban and others.

Ensuring the preservation of cultural heritage and natural monuments is an important task performed by the state. Russia is among the top ten countries in terms of the number of sites featured in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List. There are 31 locations from the List on the territory of our state: 20 objects of cultural heritage and 11 – of natural heritage.

The tablet exposition “Introduction to the Russian Federation: World Heritage on the Map of Russia” displays photographs, old engravings, book illustration, postcards from the Presidential Library’s collections. The presented materials give visitors an opportunity to see the beauty of the Russian cultural and natural heritage.

The historical centre of St. Petersburg became the first site of the UNESCO World Heritage on the territory of Russia in 1990. Here, in the architectural ensemble of the Senate and Synod buildings, the Presidential Library is located.

In the eyes of the whole world, the Moscow Kremlin and the Red Square are a symbol of not only the capital of Russia, but of the country in general. The ensemble, which includes the remarkable monument of Russian architecture – the Saint Basil’s Cathedral, was also one of the first ones to be featured in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List.

Harmonious combination of objects of the historical and cultural heritage and the unique natural surroundings is a distinctive feature of the northern region of the European part of Russia, Republic of Karelia. Here, the famous architectural ensemble of the Kizhi Pogost with many-headed wooden churches, as well as unique examples of primitive rock art – petroglyphs, is located.

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites List also includes cultural and historical monuments of Vladimir, Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Veliky Novgorod, the Solovetsky Islands, the citadel and fortress buildings of Derbent in Republic of Dagestan, the world’s northernmost monument of medieval Muslim architecture Ancient Bolghar in Republic of Tatarstan, etc.

Unique picturesque landscapes, unparalleled diversity of biological species have contributed to the inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List of one of the oldest reservoirs on the planet Lake Baikal, the volcanoes of Kamchatka, the homeland of the Amur tigers – the mountain and forest area Sikhote-Alin in the Far East, the Baltic Curonian Spit, Western Caucasus, the arctic reserve “Wrangel Island”, the nature park “Lena Pillars” and other natural objects.

The digital version of the exhibition “Introduction to the Russian Federation: World Heritage on the Map of Russia” was presented in the Russian House in Damascus on October 18. There, the demonstration of the electronic collection Russia – Syria: the History of Relations, available on the Presidential Library’s portal, was held. The collection features research studies, ancient land surveys, reference and archival materials, modern official documents dedicated to Syria and spotlighting the history of state, economic and cultural relations between Russia and Syria from the XIX century to present day.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the Damascus University in the Syrian Arab Republic and the Presidential Library in the Russian Federation was signed within the series of events, held in Syria by the Administrative Directorate of the Presidential Library of the Russian Federation. The document is aimed at the establishment and development of the scientific and research, academic cooperation, the organization of joint conferences, workshops, cultural and educational events, etc.

The delegation of the Presidential Library is visiting the Syrian Arab Republic for the second time. In June 2022, center of remote access to the Presidential Library’s resources was opened in the Russian Center of Science and Culture in Damascus. Members of the delegation actively participated in the Scientific and Practical Conference “Russia - Syria: Cultural and Educational Basis for Cooperation”, where they told about the institution's collections, their experience in disseminating knowledge about Russian history and statehood, learning the Russian language, the Presidential Library’s educational events, and the possibilities of opening remote reading rooms. The awarding of the winner of the Presidential Library’s Olympiad “Russia in the Electronic World” in the subject “Russian as a Foreign Language” from the Syrian Arab Republic was held within the framework of the conference. In addition, the Memorandum of Understanding in the field of cultural cooperation with the Al-Assad National Library was signed as well.