Project
El-Umayyad Tower
Category
Best Project of Building or Facility by Student
About the project (provided by the applicant)
El‑Umayyad Tower is a symbolic project that reflects the essence of Damascene identity within a contemporary vision. The tower rises 165m as a glass cube cut by the form of the Damascene sword from Umayyad Square, turning heritage into urban icon. At sunrise, the light projects the shadow of the sword onto the plaza, which simultaneously acts as the hands of a sundial, moving across 12 markers that indicate the local time. Thus, the building becomes an urban solar clock and a living narrative of Damascus. The façades are crafted from Damascene stained glass, inscribed in Kufic calligraphy with the verse: “And you may wish upon a star, but God may grant you the moon.” The structure employs a lightweight Diagrid system, combining strength, elegance, and cultural symbolism. El‑Umayyad Tower is not just a building, but a poem of light and shadow, a cultural beacon for the city’s future.
Location
Damascus, Syria
Project design year
2024
Project website
https://www.inspireli.com/en/awards/detail/8106
Extra visual materials
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vWXrivbQEbG3jpw43NIR8J7wKP_e9Bm_/view?usp=drivesdk
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wwq0lFaCj_RdG9iZOFwCofJiis5y9z6m/view?usp=drivesdk
Applicant
Bayan Ezzat Maslem (Fernando)
Born in 2003, a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Architecture at the Arab University for Science and Technology. Participated in the Inspireli Awards competition for the years 2024 and 2025, works as a volunteer at the Twenty Two Architecture Group.
Advisor: Saba Khaddour, MA and PhD in Architecture, academic advisor at the Arab University for Science and Technology and the University of Homs.
Author of the project
Bayan Ezzat Maslem (Fernando)
Visualization
Bayan Ezzat Maslem (Fernando)
Status of the project
Conceptual design
