'A dear friend': Syrian carves model of Cologne cathedral
Fadel Alkhudr from Syria poses beside his wooden model of the word heritage Cologne Cathedral on display at the Domforum in Cologne, Germany, Monday, June 20, 2022. Fadel Alkhudr, 42, a woodcarver and artist orginally from Aleppo, Syria, fled the war in his home country and arrived in the western german city of Cologne in 2015. In 2019 he started to carve the local Cologne Cathedral in his small basement - without any plans or drawings, using only cell phone photos of the cathedral as a template. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — Alkhudr, who is Muslim, said he developed such a close connection to the Catholic cathedral that at some point it felt like the building became a part of him.
