How the idea for a Trump Tower in Damascus was born
As the gold lettering suggests, the flashy building was designed to attract attention: the US president's attention.
'This project is our message – that this country, which has suffered and whose people have been exhausted for many years, especially the last 15 years of war, deserves to take a step towards peace,' said Walid Mohammad al-Zoubi, chair of the UAE-based Tiger Group, valued at $5bn, which is developing Trump Tower Damascus.
The construction of the tower was proposed in an effort to woo the US president as Syria's new government has sought the removal of US sanctions and a normalisation in relations with Washington. It came alongside an offer to provide the US with access to Syrian oil and investment opportunities, as well as guarantees for Israel's security.
Syria had been under US sanctions since 1979, which intensified after 2011's deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters by Syria's then-president, Bashar al-Assad. Despite the ousting of Assad in December by rebels, the US maintained sanctions against the country, wary of the new Islamist-led government.
Syria's proposal, along with prodding by the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, succeeded. Last week, Trump announced an end to all US sanctions on Syria and met the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, calling him an 'attractive' and 'tough' man.
Now, with the lifting of sanctions and ties with Washington strengthening, Trump Tower can move off the page and into reality. Zoubi is heading to Damascus this week to formally apply for building permits for the high-rise.
'We're looking at several locations. We're proposing 45 floors, subject to increase or decrease depending on planning,' said Zoubi, adding that the cost of building the commercial tower would be between $100m and $200m.
After he receives the building permit, Zoubi will need to approach the Trump brand for franchising rights. Images shared with the Guardian of the building mock-up do not include the Trump logo, as franchise permission is still being sought.
Construction, he estimated, would take three years once he received the legal approvals from the Syrian government and rights from the Trump business organisation.
Still, obstacles remain, as the process of sanctions removal is still unclear, while Syria's devastated economy and fragile political environment could complicate the project.
The Syrian-Emirati businessman employs one of the project leads of Trump Tower Istanbul, and has built 270 projects across the Middle East. He is now building Tiger Sky Tower in Dubai, a $1bn project that claims to have the 'world's highest infinity pool'. He also met Sharaa in January, before he was appointed president of Syria.
The idea for Trump Tower Damascus was born in December, after US Republican congressperson Joe Wilson floated the idea in a speech before Congress.
'The main idea was to attract President Trump's attention,' said Radwan Ziadeh, a Syrian writer who is close to Syria's president. He approached Zoubi with the idea of building Trump Tower, and the two began to work on the project.
The approach was part of a multi-pronged charm offensive meant to put Syria on Trump's agenda. The president made few comments about Syria upon taking office and the road to lifting sanctions, managed by the state department, seemed long.
Syria's president hosted US businesspeople and members of Congress in Damascus, who toured Assad-era prisons and Christian villages around the capital. Meanwhile, the Syrian foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, met spiritual leaders close to the Trump administration while on a visit to the UN in New York.
As diplomacy continued, Trump Tower seemed a way to appeal to Trump's unorthodox tastes, and the blurring of the line between his family business empire and political office, particularly in the Middle East, where he was given a luxury plane by Qatar.
In early April, Ziadeh took an initial mock-up of the tower and presented it to Shibani, who was 'very enthusiastic about it'. He also gave it to the Saudi ambassador in Damascus, with the hope that it would reach Trump's team via Riyadh.
'This is how you win his mind and heart,' Ziadeh said. He grew more confident about his strategy after a video posted by Trump in February showed a Trump Tower in Gaza as part of his controversial proposal to effectively displace Palestinians and build a luxury riviera in the Palestinian territory.
Beyond winning hearts and minds in the US, Syrians hope that a major real estate project such as the Trump tower will invite further international investment in Syria.
Major investments are needed in infrastructure and basic services beyond glitzy investment projects. The UN estimates that 90% of the Syrian people live in poverty and live most of the day without electricity or access to proper medical care.
Zoubi shared a side-by-side image of the Damascus skyline, an explosion replaced by a sleek steel and glass high-rise.
'The project is about how the wartorn country is transitioning to a place of light and beauty … It's symbolic, contributing to security and peace,' said Zoubi.
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