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Stonemasonry Training Program Begins in Lebanon

WMF's stonemasonry training program has begun in Tripoli, Lebanon, where a new group of Syrian refugees and local Lebanese will be trained in the art of stonemasonry, learn about heritage preservation in their region, and be introduced to the basics of business planning. The training center is located in Tripoli's Lion Tower, pictured above. 

Previously set in Mafraq, Jordan, WMF's stonemasonry capacity-building program is a British funded conservation training initiative originally designed for Syrian refugees and Jordanians to help renew community strength and rebuild heritage skills in anticipation of the conservation work that will be needed in post-war Syria and across the region. 

 


Photo of the team in front of the Lion Tower

 

First implemented in 2017, the program successfully trained two rounds of trainees, improving livelihoods and leading directly to new employment opportunities . In April 2020, the British Council announced its support for WMF to transfer the program to Tripoli, Lebanon, an area which faces similar challenges. We also hope that the move will have a wider benefit for the whole country, especially for Beirut, as the city starts to address the massive damage this summer’s explosion wrought on its built heritage.

Photos courtesy of Ahmad Zaatiti