SIRICIO, POPE, saint — Medallion from the ancient series of the popes in the basilica of S. Paolo fuori le Mura (5th century) — Rome.
was to be decorated with wall paintings, of which, however, only miserable traces have survived: only in Palmyra, in the temple of Bél transformed into a church, do some paintings depicting saints remain. Marble-slab revetments were not very widespread, being reserved for the most sumptuous buildings: examples are found at Qalb Lauzeh and in the convent of S. Simeone. Floor mosaics are rare, but only careful excavations can increase the documentation on this subject; in any case, what is known falls far short of the beauty of the examples from the coastal region, Palestine, and Transjordan.
The development of Syrian art was first arrested around the middle of the 6th century by the Sásánid invasion, which devastated the entire territory, and then in the first half of the 7th century by the Muslim conquest—precisely when buildings such as Qalb Lauzeh, Termánin, and S. Simeone, studied by brilliant architects as genuine artistic expressions and not as constructions intended merely to satisfy liturgical needs, promised the most radiant future.
Ugo Monneret de Villard
X. SCHOOL SYSTEM
In S. public education is well established and is continually tending to expand through its struggle against illiteracy. It comprises elementary or primary education, secondary education or the lyceum, and higher education, corresponding to our universities. The curricula and methods, given the long period of the mandate exercised by France, are for the most part, at every level and grade of schooling, French.Primary school comprises 5 classes and prepares pupils for the so-called « Syrian certificate of studies », which is not, however, obligatory for continuing to higher courses, for which a certificate of eligibility suffices. Religion is a compulsory subject there.
Secondary education covers a period of 6 years, followed by a 1-year complementary course for those wishing to enter university, and is provided in 5 boys’ lyceums: Damascus, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Dejl ez-Zor, and 2 girls’ lyceums: Damascus and Aleppo. It prepares pupils for two levels of baccalaureate: the first-level baccalaureate at the end of 6 years, and the second-level baccalaureate at the end of the complementary course. The lyceums of Damascus and Aleppo also have a 3-year normal school attached to them, admission to which is from primary school and which prepares pupils for a kind of « Syrian elementary certificate », to be obtained, however, by taking an examination before a commission appointed by the Ministry of Public Education. Vocational education has particular importance in the agricultural school, required by the very nature of the country, which is eminently agricultural, and is conducted at three levels: the first concerns farmers, who, in addition to lessons in history, arithmetic, etc., are also taught practical, rational methods for cultivating the land; the second trains future technicians for agricultural and mechanical stations; the third, or higher level, concerns future directors of agricultural activities.
For higher education there is the University of Damascus, founded in 1920 through the revival of the School of Medicine already established by the Turkish government, but raised to the status of a faculty; to medicine, which also included schools of dentistry and obstetrics, was subsequently added the Faculty of Law. Alongside the University of Damascus, mention must also be made of the Higher School of Arabic, established by the French government to encourage and perfect the study of the Arabic language and ensure its preservation; the Institute of Journalism and the Institute of Art, both in Damascus, which award diplomas respectively for careers in journalism and music.
The numerous private institutions, colleges and lyceums, and institutions administered by religious men and women, greatly benefit education; above all, the University of S. Beirut (v.) with its college, founded in 1883 and directed by the Jesuits, which comprises the Faculties of medicine and pharmacy, law, engineering, theology, and philosophy. Also worth remembering is the Islamic-Sharia College established by the former king of Egypt, Färük, in 1940 to prepare « men of religion », that is, judges of the Sharia courts, preachers, teachers of religion in Muslim schools, etc., and to provide access to Egypt’s higher religious institutions, especially the University of el-Azhar. — Vedi tav. XLVII.