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Aleppo: On the domed roof of a historical market in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, architect Bassel Al Daher moves between workers painstakingly working to erase the scars of war.

Men wearing vests and helmets repair parts of the roof still bearing visible traces of the four-year-long battle for the former rebel stronghold.

They cover its charred surface with a fresh coat of white paint as part of a wider effort to rehabilitate the Saqatiya market, or souk in Arabic.

London, United Kingdom, 4 February 2016 - His Highness the Aga Khan today called for the establishment of ‘islands of stability’ in war-ravaged Syria that could provide areas of relative safety in the midst of conflict.

“We seek to create ‘islands of stability’, where there is public consensus, in the face of war. It is my conviction that ‘islands of stability’ can be replicated wherever security permits. Investing in them will help to prevent displacement of people and anchor communities that would otherwise flee as refugees,” he said.

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Co-hosts of the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I thank the co-hosts for organising this much needed initiative to deepen the understanding of, and garner international support for the peoples of Syria, Alongside all those present here today, I am deeply distressed over the indiscriminate and widespread devastation of life and property, including that of irreplaceable cultural assets which are the manifestation of Syria’s stunningly rich pluralistic history.