The tents and caravans that once sheltered thousands of Syrian refugees at the Zaatari camp in Jordan have steadily been appropriated and turned into dwellings that responded to the residents’ social and cultural needs. 

In this book, Ayham Dalal takes a closer look at this remarkable transformation and the tension between 'the shelter' and 'the dwelling'. He unravels how new spaces unfold between them, in which refugees become architects as the camp is dismantled and reassembled. 

From Shelters to Dwellings is the first study to uniquely combine ethnographic observations with new architectural research methods, to illustrate in detail how people inhabit temporary shelters. 

Dr. Fatima Al-Nammari (University of Petra, Honorary Research Fellow at UCL) will participate in the discussion.

The discussion will be in English. 

Publisher: Transcript Verlag, Germany. Available here.

Ayham Dalal is a specialist in the field of forced migration and architecture, with over eight years of experience in researching refugee camps in Europe and the Middle East. He curated two exhibitions, directed an award-winning film, and edited a book about the architecture of refugee camps in the Middle East (upcoming). He has a PhD from TU Berlin and has taught in Germany, Oman, and the USA. He is currently researching the impact of Syrian migration to Amman within the framework of ITHACA project and in collaboration with the French Institute for the Near East Studies (Ifpo).