Following the success of its “The Lost Voice: Aurora Mardiganian” miniseries, the podcast returns with powerful new stories from Syria, Lebanon, Armenia, Palestine and beyond.
The first episode, titled “The Baron Hotel,” is a beautiful audio portrait of one of Syria’s most iconic and storied buildings.
Co-produced by Maxim Saakyan and Syrian-Armenian researcher Zila Demirjian, “The Baron Hotel” tells the story of its namesake, Aleppo’s once-legendary hotel, a space that once hosted kings, revolutionaries, archaeologists, and refugees, and which now stands damaged and deserted after more than a century of history.
At the center of the story is Mary Momdjian, granddaughter of the hotel’s original founder, whose voice carries listeners through intimate family memories, wartime upheavals, and the slow disappearance of a world. Her reflections, paired with original sound design, archival recordings, and field interviews with Aleppo-based historians and filmmakers, paint a layered portrait of a building that witnessed, and at times sheltered, so much.
“The Baron has been a witness to so many turning points in history,” said Demirjian. “When spaces like this disappear, it’s not just history we lose. It’s belonging, continuity and culture.”
“The Baron Hotel” will travel across the region, featuring stories from Lebanon, Armenia, Palestine, and other places in the region.
