Massar was initiated in 2005 by the „Syria Trust for Development“ as a national educational and cultural programme for children and adolescents. The central project of the programme in Damascus is MassarRoseScienceCenter, which was designed by the Danish architect Henning Larsen and is currently under construction. The area of the future Massar Rose Park unites on a small space a cross-section of the typical landscape elements of the Damascene oasis: The steep slope that skirts Barada River, the former „Ghuta“ with its orchards and Barada River itself. These strong landscape characteristics were identified and visualized as the determining qualities of the location. Massar Rose Park is designed as a landscape that has a strong appeal not only with visitors but also with the inhabitants of Damascus and especially with Syrian youngsters. In the future there will be a public park that will link the most significant cultural sites of Damascus - the historic district, MassarRoseCenter, the university and Al Assad Opera.