Damascus News Platform – Quoted from Al-Thawra Newspaper
Hussein Roumani
Al-Thawra Syrian Newspaper: Ministry of Culture Launches Al-Sham Magazine, Reviving a Historic Name in the Syrian Cultural Landscape
On Thursday, 14 May 2026, the Syrian Ministry of Culture released the first issue of the monthly magazine Al-Sham, dedicated to thought, literature, the arts, and heritage. The publication adopts an analytical and intellectual vision that observes the Syrian cultural scene both locally and internationally. In its introductory statement, the magazine declared that it “emerges from a vision that considers culture an active force in producing meaning, preserving memory, rebuilding awareness, and strengthening the bond between the Syrian people, their history, society, and future.”
The main feature of the inaugural issue focused on Syrian cultural identity, presenting a range of studies and articles discussing transformations of identity, the authority of narrative, cultural memory, heritage protection, cultural restoration, and the relationship between Syrian literature and identity.
The issue also included a review of cultural achievements over the past year, alongside various materials covering theatre and visual arts, as well as contributions from young writers addressing contemporary cultural concerns and issues.
Through this publication, the ministry seeks to establish a direct connection between readers and cultural institutions, while opening the door for thinkers and creatives to participate. This reflects the continuity of the Syrian cultural project and the renewal of its tools, while reviving the name Al-Sham, which was associated with the early beginnings of journalism in the late nineteenth century.
Reviving the name Al-Sham Newspaper as a modern magazine with a renewed presence in the Syrian cultural scene invites a return to an earlier layer of Syrian press history.
The weekly Al-Sham Newspaper first appeared in the late nineteenth century, within a journalistic environment that was still in its formative stages and gradually establishing the role of printed media in public life.
At that time, journalism in Damascus was part of a growing urban and cultural movement and served as a means of documentation, reporting, and presenting local affairs, during an era when printing presses and newspapers represented a new addition to the city’s cultural and social landscape.
A Weekly Newspaper in Its Historical Context
According to the information presented by researcher Joseph Elias in his book The Development of Syrian Journalism Over One Hundred Years (1865–1965), published by Dar Al-Nidal for Printing and Publishing in Beirut in 1982, Al-Sham Newspaper succeeded the newspaper Dimashq, which ceased publication in 1887.
The first issue of Al-Sham Newspaper was published on 22 July 1896, bearing beneath its title the phrase: “A scientific, political, literary, and news newspaper issued every Tuesday temporarily.” It was among the newspapers that appeared in the late nineteenth century as part of a wider collection of publications reflecting the development of journalism in Damascus during that period.
The newspaper was published in Arabic and focused on reporting news related to the Province of Damascus and various administrative and social affairs, in addition to general cultural and educational content, in line with the nature of journalism during that early stage.
Management of the Press License
The name Mustafa Wasef appeared under the heading “Administration and License of Al-Sham Newspaper” in Damascus. According to Joseph Elias’s book, Wasef supervised the publication within the official regulatory framework of the time. He also served as director of the Syrian Provincial Printing Press and head of the lithography department during the Ottoman era.
Within the journalistic system of that period, the “license holder” functioned as the legally and administratively responsible authority for the newspaper, reflecting the strong bureaucratic nature of press publications at the time. Dr. Shams Al-Din Al-Rifai notes in his book History of Syrian Journalism that the newspaper continued to appear weekly until its final days, eventually ceasing publication in 1908 following the declaration of the constitution, coinciding with the illness of its owner, Mustafa Wasef.
An Early Presence in Damascene Journalism
The name Mohammad Kurd Ali became associated with Al-Sham Newspaper during the early stages of his journalistic career. Born in Damascus in late March 1876, he received his primary education at Al-Habbal Private School in the Al-Qaymariyya district, completed his preparatory studies at the Military Rushdiyya School, and later finished his secondary education at the Lazarist Fathers’ School in Damascus, where he also learned Turkish and French.
Kurd Ali was influenced by several prominent scholars of Damascus, from whom he absorbed knowledge and literature. Among the most influential were Sheikh Taher Al-Jazaeri, Sheikh Mohammad Al-Mubarak, and Sheikh Salim Al-Bukhari. Under their guidance, he studied literature, language, rhetoric, jurisprudence, sociology, history, Qur’anic interpretation, and philosophy.
At the age of seventeen, Kurd Ali worked as a clerk in the Foreign Affairs Office, translating to and from French. In 1897, he was entrusted with editing the first newspaper published in Damascus under the name Al-Sham, a weekly publication in which he worked for three years.
During his time at the newspaper, he published various studies on history, sociology, and literature in the Cairo-based magazine Al-Muqtataf, which contributed to the growing recognition of his name and reputation, according to the Arabic Language Academy in Damascus.
This early stage formed part of his first experience in journalism, which later evolved into a broader intellectual and cultural career.
By examining the nature of Syrian journalism in the late nineteenth century, Al-Sham Newspaper can be understood as a weekly publication aimed at reporting local news in Damascus, presenting certain public administrative affairs, offering light cultural material related to language and general knowledge, and following everyday social issues.
The newspaper employed a clear and straightforward Arabic style characterised by simplicity and dignity, making it accessible to a broad readership within the city.
The Emergence of Journalism
During that period, Damascus witnessed the gradual emergence of a journalistic sphere, supported by the expansion of printing and growing interest in journalistic writing, which enabled the appearance of weekly newspapers such as Al-Sham.
The newspaper contributed to introducing local readers to new forms of public writing, and such experiences became part of a gradual transition toward a more diverse press landscape in later decades, both in terms of themes and journalistic methods.
Over time, Syrian journalism evolved into more diverse and independent forms, with new newspapers and magazines appearing at the beginning of the twentieth century. Among them was Mohammad Kurd Ali’s experience with Al-Muqtabas Magazine, which represented a significant milestone in the development of intellectual journalism in the region.
As for Al-Sham Newspaper, it remains part of the foundational phase that paved the way for the diversity that later characterised the Syrian press scene.
Today, Al-Sham returns after an absence of more than a century, becoming a project of interest for Minister of Culture Mohammad Yassin Saleh. His announcement on the platform X carried symbolic significance reconnecting the publication with its historical roots, as he wrote:
> “With great pride and honour, we relaunch Al-Sham, which was published in Damascus in 1897 as a newspaper headed by the distinguished scholar and minister Mohammad Kurd Ali, renowned for his towering intellectual legacy. Today, Al-Sham Magazine is issued by the Ministry of Culture and printed in its presses. It is a magazine dedicated to thought, literature, the arts, and the revitalisation of cultural life.”
This announcement represents a contemporary moment of revival, positioning Al-Sham as a cultural magazine devoted to thought, literature, and the arts. In doing so, it creates a continuous symbolic line linking the past with the present, granting the same name a renewed life within an evolving cultural context.
