Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Syria

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[edit] Pictures

Does this project need any pictures?

I can provide any pictures from here without the watermark:

http://www.syriapath.com/cgallery/index.php?cat=12

most(not all) of these pictures are unique.... let me know

Haxxor23 14:54, 26 April 2007 (UTC)

That's very nice. The pictures are free, right? I mean you own the copyright on those images and can release them under a free license, eh? If that is so, then this might be very helpful. There is nothing certain in my mind right now, but I will make sure to contact you whenever I need any photographs. If you want, you can check the Syrian articles and add/replace images with better, or free images, because some articles have unfree (fairuse) images and it would be nice to replace them with free substitutes. You can check the categories, or for the cities, you can check list of cities in Syria. Thank you! —Anas talk? 15:16, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
Yup, the pictures are free and can be used under free licence. I will got through the Syrian articles and replace any pictures I can with free ones. let me know if there are any pictures you want, and I'll be more than happy to provide them. You can also check out our member contributed pictures here and feel free to use any that you want.
http://www.syriapath.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=217
Thanks Anas Haxxor23 17:40, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
Excellent. I suggest these images be released under a free license. The best free license to choose, in my opinion, is the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License v. 2.5. To use this license, just tag your article with {{Cc-by-sa-2.5|Attribution}} and replace Attribution with the website you wish to be attributed to when reused elsewhere. This license allows others to use the image for free anywhere as long as they attribute it to you or your website. Thank you so much! :-) Regards, Anas talk? 09:17, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Requested articles

I can't find a section for this on the front page, but one notably absent (where others exist for almost all other Asian countries) is Syrian American. My hometown mayor Robert M. Isaac and my Kindergarten teacher are two. Chris 06:46, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

OK, I might start a stub for it soon. Unfortunately many of our members are busy in real life, including me. As for the main page, I am planning on adding two more columns, one for the Project's award and the other for a tasklist. To request an article, you can either add it in the tasklist or leave a message here. —Anas talk? 09:24, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
I don't really see the point unless they're well known. You could just as well add British Syrian, or French Syrian, Brazilian Syrian etc etc....Perhaps there should be something about famous Syrian ex pats worldwide, I'm inspired to do that by this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E319sRGOzXs
which lists these people (I was really surprised by Steve Jobs and Tiffany!):
Shannon Elizabeth, Steve Jobs, Armande Altaï, Kurtis Mantronik, Hala Ghorani, Mitchell Daniels, Ikram Antaki, Gilberto Kassab, Mona Simpson, Ricardo Mamood, Asmahan, Yasser Seirawan, Jerry Seinfeld, Arlindo Chinaglia, Nadia Behette, Wentworth Miller, Suad Husni, Paul Anka, Adib Jatene, Tiffany, Carlos Menem, Paula Abdul, Tige Andrews, Jack Kachkar, Moustapha Akkad, Nizar Qabbani, Mary Rose Oakar, Murray Abraham, Victor G. Atiyeh, Adunis, Michael Ansara, Kinda Hibrawi, René Angélil, Farid Alattrach, Ghada Shoua'a, Osama Esber, Boris Said, Mohja Kahf, Sarkis Assadourian, Vic Tayback, Vicente Saadi, Phillip Stamma, Ernest Hamwi .......
Maybe we can make a photo gallery of them which links to their wiki page....just a thought... Haxxor23 11:46, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
There's no harm in creating an article for every notable group of Syrian expatriates. I think that a parent Syrian diaspora article should be created, followed by articles for Canadian, American, French, British, Brazilian and Argentinian Syrians, etc. Of course, this needs some time. I will find some time for the diaspora article and the American Syrians for now. —Anas talk? 13:37, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
Alright, I created stubs for Syrian diaspora and Syrian people. The former will serve as the parent article for the several Syrian expatriates articles. I've created a navigational template, {{Syrian diaspora}}, to be placed on every related article. It's probably missing many other countries with a notable Syrian population, so feel free to add any country you feel needs an article. I will be working on a good article for Syrian Americans as soon as I finish my SAT and have some free time. —Anas talk? 15:49, 28 April 2007 (UTC)

hello guys, I have just stumbled across this project through my video about the syrian celebrities on youtube, it's a good idea and i would like to help you, I have all pictures for the syrian celebrities names mentioned above.--Bashs 11:14, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Hey Bashs. Welcome to the 'pedia! :-) I appreciate your offer to help, but my assumption is that these images are copyrighted. Using them here will not be very helpful, and they most probably will end up being deleted. However, if you do have free photos (you or a friend took them), it would be really great if you can upload these under a free license. All the best, Anas talk? 11:31, 17 May 2007 (UTC)
I think there shouldn't be an article called Syrian people since being a Syrian does not mean ethnically Syrian, some Syrian are of Arab descendant others are of Kurdish, Armenian or any other ethnic group.--Aziz1005 16:23, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm new to Wikipedia. I have lived in Syria for more than 30 years and am interested in helping to develop this site. What type of articles do you need? I'm interested in archaeological sites, have visited many of the lesser known Dead Cities and have photos. Lynjane 06:19, 21 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Free time

Well, I'm back from a couple of weeks of lack of sleep. I hope I didn't miss much, and I plan to be back to my regular contributing rate tomorrow. Sorry about my absence! Asabbagh 09:45, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

Good to have you back, Asabbagh. :-) Contact me on my talk page so I can update you on our current work, if you like. —Anas talk? 11:34, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Aleppo Citadel

I've overhauled the entire Citadel_of_Aleppo page. It was poorly written and full of errors. I've also added some pictures and a gallery. Hopefully now the article is a lot better, and it's a very important one, so check up on it and see if there is further need of editing or additional information. I've also rated it as a B class.

Haxxor23 14:53, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks a lot man. I'm extremely low on free time right now, but I'll check it out later. In the mean time, any of the Project's members can give it a look. —Anas talk? 19:23, 11 May 2007 (UTC)
Impressive work. There are a few concerns: The "Modern day" section has some repeated information, and most of it is not even modern day information. For the info you added, is it possible to add a source? Eventually, someone will ask for it... And also, is there any reason why you removed the external link that was there? Otherwise, great job! Asabbagh 09:22, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. Yes I agree the "modern day" section does have repeated information in it. I'll update it soon as there are major renovations going on around the citadel. I'm not quite sure what but it seems the road around the citadel has been blocked to traffic, I think there's a new tourism drive in the old quarter of Aleppo, and the citadel seems to be an important part of that. Anyway I'll add the information as soon as I'm sure of it. As for sources, will add them soon; and the external link points to a website that hasn't been updated for over 3 years, and it doesn't really provide any additional important information about the citadel.

Haxxor23 16:25, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

Sounds excellent Haxxor. Keep up the good job! —Anas talk? 12:46, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Golan Heights

I would welcome comments on this edit by Isarig (talk · contribs):

This quotation and reference:

[1]: In May 1967 before the Six-Day War of 1967, Hafez Assad, then Syria's Defense Minister declared: "Our forces are now entirely ready not only to repulse the aggression, but to initiate the act of liberation itself, and to explode the Zionist presence in the Arab homeland. The Syrian Army, with its finger on the trigger, is united... I, as a military man, believe that the time has come to enter into a battle of annihilation."(Bard, 2002, p. 196.)

Has been changed to this:

[2]: In May 1967 before the Six-Day War of 1967, Hafez Assad, then Syria's Defense Minister declared: "Our forces are now entirely ready...to initiate the act of liberation itself, and to explode the Zionist presence in the Arab homeland....The time has come to enter into a battle of annihilation."(Louis Rene Beres, Professor Department of Political Science, Purdue University)

I don't think either of these sources is reliable, but the second quotation from a web page carrying no references looks like a significant distortion of the longer quotation from Bard, which itself appears to originate with AIPAC. . --Ian Pitchford 18:34, 13 May 2007 (UTC)

The second quote, which had been in the article for a while until Ian removed it, is sourced to a paper by an academic, Prof. Louis Rene Beres. It is a reliable source (as is Bard's book). Ian removed the former, inserted the latter, and used a false edit summary claiming the latter is the "only source known me". It's hard to WP:AGF given this kind of tendentious editing. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Isarig (talk • contribs) 18:48, 13 May 2007 (UTC).
The paper is published in issue 4.1 of the Brown Journal of World Affairs [3], a publication of Brown University. Ian has by now added a comment to my Talk page falsely claiming this is a "self-published" source. I think it's easy to see what kind of POV-pushing is going on here. Isarig 18:57, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
Having Googled the quote, I could not identify which one seems to be the correct version. It's likely that the quote was translated from Arabic into two different versions. I have to honestly say, though, that the second quote had much more results, which seemed sort of reliable. Please try to settle this conflict peacefully; maybe you can explain this confusion in a footnote? —Anas talk? 19:42, 13 May 2007 (UTC)
At the moment I can't verify if either one is a true quote, but it is obvious that if one is true, they are both true, with the second one being only a part of the first one. They are highly unlikely to be two differently translated versions, because of words like "act of liberation itself", "annihilation". (Two separately translated versions would, by probability, differ more than that). The parts that are missing from the second quote, but present in the first, should be there if this quote is to be used at all, because there is added meaning, and to quote without them is taking it out of context, to imply a POV interpretation of the quote. The quote should, however, be verified with reliable sources if it is to remain in the article. Asabbagh 05:25, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tasks

A new tasks list has been added to the Project's main page. Please add new tasks there. —Anas talk? 09:25, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Requested articles, round 2

Brother Anas, I tried to make that tasks section do what I need, but it goes to the generic Wikipedia tasks page. I can't find a section for this on the very-nice-looking-but-cumbersome WikiProject Syria front page, so I am just putting my requests here.

Thanks (how to say thanks in Syro-Arabic?) Chris 07:17, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

Weird. Just click on the little "edit" link near the section name. It will take you to the task list page, where you can place your requests. Thank you in Arabic is the same in Syrian Arabic; it is shukran. I'll see what I can do. —Anas talk? 10:49, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
Thanks! I was pretty sure it was shukran, I just know three of Syria's historic neighbors to the north (Armenian, Farsi and Turkish) all seem to trade off and borrow each other's words for thanks, (Farsi even uses merci like in French), so I didn't know if the tradition had crossed the border. Shukran! Chris 17:13, 27 May 2007 (UTC)
No sweat, man. Some Syrians, under the strong influence of Western cultures, use English or French for "thanks", "good morning", etc. too. —Anas talk? 17:17, 27 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] A reference blank map of Syria

Damascus (Syria)
Damascus
Damascus
Damascus

I noticed that a blank reference map of Syria is needed. The reference map can be used to locate cities or villages on the map by their geographical coordinates. A few examples are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Croatia_map_blank.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Greece_map_blank.png
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Austria_map_blank.png

Ahmadac 22:12, 28 May 2007 (UTC)

This can be made pretty easily. I'm on it. Also, we really need to sort out the infobox issue and generate some consistency in articles. Hopefully, after my wikibreak. —Anas talk? 22:38, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
Image:Syria map blank.png, not exactly the best map possible, but good for now. —Anas talk? 23:29, 28 May 2007 (UTC)
Forget that one. With the help of Chris, we now have a locator map and template (see it in action, right). We'll need to implement it into an infobox now, maybe after my wikibreak. —Anas talk? 13:11, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
Oh that's amazing! Ahmadac 01:01, 1 June 2007 (UTC)
مدينة طرطوس
City of Tartus
Hamrat Street
General Information
Country: Syria
Governorate: Tartus
Area code: 43
Website: http://www.tartous.gov.sy
Map: Tartus in Syria
Tartus (Syria)
Tartus
Tartus
Tartus (Syria)
Governor Wahib Hasan Zein Eddin
Population
Population: 160,000
Geography
Location: 34° 52' N, 35° 52'E
Elevation: 0 m



So I tried using the map with Tartus article and I used a different infobox. Maybe we can use this example for other Syrian cities. Check the infobox on the right! Ahmadac 22:41, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
If you all agree to this, I'll go ahead and change other cities on my free time. Ahmadac 22:49, 2 June 2007 (UTC)
You might wanna wait, just a couple of days, till I have some free time. Maybe we can then implement this feature in an infobox. Cheers, Anas talk? 13:45, 3 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quneitra

Thought I'd mention that I've completely rewritten Quneitra, seeing as it's the 40th anniversary of the city's fall in 1967. -- ChrisO 22:58, 11 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Illustration

Hello guys I was just wondering if there is any Syria-related article that needs to be illustrated? since I'm going Syria in few days. I'll focus mainly on Damascus but I think I will go to other cities as well. In fact I will upload my collection of images on wikimedia commons when I come back any way.

If there are any required images please tell me during these 2 days, and I'll try to offer it when I come back!--Aziz1005 13:26, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Well, I don't know Damascus that well. The Damascus article is probably a good place to start. Give it a scan and see what needs images. Generally, pictures of tourist attractions, historical places, and special landmarks of whatever type will do well with images. As for other cities, see List of cities in Syria; most of them have no images. Bon voyage, Anas talk? 16:08, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
I'll do my best. I know Damascus very well and I know many attractive places there since I lived there most of my life :) --Aziz1005 19:48, 5 July 2007 (UTC)
'Aight, mate. Good luck! —Anas talk? 00:23, 6 July 2007 (UTC)
If you could find an image of Ali al-Dandachi, I would name children after you! Chris 05:25, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Do you have any link to unfree image for him. I'll try although it is less likely to find an image for Al-Dandachi :(--Aziz1005 12:00, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

It's pretty much impossible. I couldn't even find an unfree image of him! Then again, perhaps looking for the dude and snapping a picture of him would be easier, if he is alive. Meh. —Anas talk? 14:09, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lebanese or Syrian?

Hi, I'm just wondering why Syrian and Lebanese films are exactly the same! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Lebanese_films). Are we considering it's the same country? Makinebey 05:25, 21 July 2007 (UTC)makinebey

Obviously, the list is incorrect, and was created rather heedlessly. So be bold and fix it, even though I think it is pretty hard to do so. —Anas talk? 14:22, 21 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] RfC

Your comments are welcome at Talk:Israeli settlement#RfC: Inclusion of Golan Heights settlements.--Doron 20:11, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Elagabalus

Elagabalus has been nominated for a featured article review. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. Please leave your comments and help us to return the article to featured quality. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, articles are moved onto the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Remove" the article from featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Reviewers' concerns are here. DrKiernan 07:23, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Images

I am uploading my collection of images about Syria and this is the link. I haven't uploaded everything yet but I have uploaded some. Please try to use them wherever you can--Aziz1005 00:19, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Awesome! Thanks, Aziz. I'll make sure I check them out once I have a little stability in my life (I'm moving, so my life is hectic somehow). Hope you enjoyed your vacation. —Anas talk? 20:52, 8 August 2007 (UTC)
Yea of course I enjoyed it :). I also need some time to upload my collection of images so make sure you check them every few days or once a week until I finish, and your life settles down! --Aziz1005 01:09, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Quneitra featured article candidate

I have nominated Quneitra for featured article status, following its designation last month as a good article. Please leave any comments on Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Quneitra. -- ChrisO 01:56, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Golan Heights

Please see Golan Heights. An IP editor appears to be POV pushing. Pocopocopocopoco (talk) 18:24, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Sassanid Empire

Sassanid Empire has been nominated for a featured article review. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. Please leave your comments and help us to return the article to featured quality. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, articles are moved onto the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Remove" the article from featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Reviewers' concerns are here.Blnguyen (vote in the photo straw poll) 05:03, 8 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Draft Guidelines for Lists of companies by country - Feedback Requested

Within WikiProject Companies I am trying to establish guidelines for all Lists of companies by country, the implementation of which would hopefully ensure a minimum quality standard and level of consistency across all of these related but currently disparate articles. The ultimate goal is the improvement of these articles to Featured List status. As a WikiProject that currently has one of these lists within your scope, I would really appreciate your feedback! You can find the draft guidelines here. Thanks for your help as we look to build consensus and improve Wikipedia! - Richc80 (talk) 14:19, 26 May 2008 (UTC)