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| (Photo: Many new holes dug in Mari to loot artefacts. Source: AAAS)
Communities stepping up protection, but looting continues
The DGAM reports that looting has decreased in Ebla and other sites in Idlib from a decreased in foreign presence for theft and greater community efforts to protect local heritage. The museum at Maarat al-Nu’man has also been protected. See the brief here. However, the AAAS report (mentioned above) indicates that looting has gotten worse as well, and shares before-and-after satellite images here. |
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| Reports and Updates from the Syrian Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums |
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DGAM involvement in preservation of cultural heritage
- The DGAM reports on December 19 that the Homs detachment has been able to resume work in the heavily damaged city The team is now focusing on local restoration work and is engaged in checking the status of sites around the city, which they report at the moment to be by and large in good condition. See the report here.
- The DGAM participated in the international conference ‘Cultural Heritage in Danger’, which took place on December 11 and 12 in Berlin. The conference was sponsored by The German Archaeological Institute, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the German Archaeological Association. Along with the DG of the DGAM, Dr. Maamoun Abdulkarim, his Iraqi and Egyptian counterparts were also in attendance (Ahmed Kamil and Mamdouh Mohamed Gad El Damaty, respectively). At the conference, delegates recommended that the international community work strengthening border controls, supporting local and national institutions, training archaeology specialists to work with customs inspectors, and other initiatives. See the report here.
- The DGAM participated in the UNESCO-sponsored event ‘Protection of Cultural Heritage & the Respect of Cultural Diversity in Iraq and Syria’ which took place in Paris on December 3, 2014. An early announcement is here and a more detailed one can be found here.The meeting ‘focused on how to combat the smuggling of antiquities, the international actions that could help to fight the illicit traffic of cultural property, and the laws and the international conventions for the protection of cultural heritage.’ Speakers included UNESCO DG Irina Bokova, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, and the DG of the DGAM, Dr. Maamoun Abdulkarim. Dr. Abdulkarim’s speech addresses the vision of the DGAM – to make all Syria share in and take responsibility for its heritage, to protect it and to defend it.
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| Policy Changes and Updates from Syria |
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| Calls for US congress to act on protecting Syria’s heritage
Saving Antiquities for Everyone (SAFE) on December 6 2014 published a statement (here) supporting recent US efforts to address cultural heritage protection in Syria and Iraq, carried out via the ‘Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act’ which can be found here. |
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| AAAS and ASOR publishing information on Syria’s heritage sites
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has an updated website dealing with damage to sites in Syria. The site has comprehensive analysis of destruction of a number of prominent sites, along with a range of detailed photographs, and can be found here. ASOR also continues to publish weekly reports, the most recent of which can be found here. |
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| News Updates
(Not covered in other sections) |
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News
- The New York Times (December 17, 2014) runs an article entitled “The Destruction of Syria’s Patrimony” The article highlights the recent UNESCO meeting in Paris, designed to address trafficking, looting, and ongoing destruction.
- Der Spiegel (December 10, 2014) runs an article “Dubious Provenance: Pressure Grows for Museums to Return Stolen Objects” by Konstantin von Hammerstein writes about the pressure to return looted antiquities to their rightful owners.
- Deutsche Welle (December 12 2014) says “Germany to crack down on antiquity theft” The article suggests that Germany, apparently a major venue for trading stolen artefacts, is seeking to reduce the market in an attempt to stem the tide.
- Hyperallergic published an article by Sam Hardy (of Conflict Antiquities), “UN Maps Reveal Destruction of Thousands of Cultural Sites Across Syria“, addressing the use of satellite imagery to document damage to sites in Syria. According to such data, over 31,000 sites in Syria alone have been damaged during the ongoing conflict.
- The National (Abu Dhabi) runs a story (December 11, 2014), called “Stealing from history: the looting and destruction of Iraqi and Syrian heritage concern us all” The article quotes France Desmarais (International Council of Museums) as saying that “Syria is the worst-case scenario. It is the worst situation I’ve ever seen. Satellite imagery shows massive, mechanical looting of sites.”
- NPR Boston (WBUR) has a short story from December 8 2014 (audio 8’34’’) on the damage to heritage in Syria. The story features an interview with a Syrian archaeologist, Dr. Salam Al Kuntar, currently a visiting fellow at the University of Pennsylvania, and can be found here
- The UNESCO Conference in Paris in which the DGAM participated (see above) is branded as ‘too little too late’ by IsraelNationalnews.com (December 7 2014).
- The Huffington Post runs an article on December 6 2014 entitled ‘Congressional Monuments Men? The Role of Congress in Fighting Terrorist Financing, While Preserving Our Cultural Heritage’. As the title suggests, the author invokes the legacy of WWII’s ‘monuments men’ as an example of US leadership in the preservation of world heritage, and the author urges Congress (and governments everywhere) to take a leadership role in protecting the cultural heritage of Iraq and Syria.
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