THE BATTLE FOR HOME

Everyone in Syria has lived this war. Every day people have fought for their lives, every day has brought a bid for survival, but it is not only bodies that suffer; souls, too, go through these battles, dying a thousand times in anticipation, only to rise up wearily to face another day. So begins the eyewitness account of Marwa al-Sabouni, a young architect based in war-torn Homs, on the countrys bitter conflict. Seen through the revealing lens of architecture and depicted with clarity, conviction and deep intelligence, she shares her personal experience of how the built environment directly affects the community that inhabits it, how the stage for civil war has long been set in her country, and how architecture might play a role in reversing the damage. The Battle for Home reveals uncomfortable truths and asks important questions, but ultimately offers hope, for rebuilding both a proud country and a much-needed sense of identity. 'We have so many challenges ahead. The need is urgent, both in terms of providing people with homes, and bringing back to us all a part of what we have lost. But what we lost wasnt right in the first place. I strongly believe that. In some ways, it led us here. We traded the values of our old Islamic architecture for the profligate consumer model, and in the process we lost ourselves.' - Marwa al-Sabouni