Damage to Syria’s heritage – 08 October 2018

Aleppo Archaeology shared photos by Joseph Megarbane of damage in Aleppo and the community-led repair work.

According to the Syria Times and the DGAM, the Directorate of Antiquities in Daraa Province and the Daraa police thwarted an attempt to smuggle ancient artifacts dating back to the Roman era from the al-Tabariyat area into Jordan.

Muraselon reports that militants in Western Aleppo continue to steal historical artifacts.

The International Trade and the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committees of the European Parliament have approved measures to establish a common EU definition for cultural goods in the context of import and a certification system to guarantee the legality of the imported cultural goods.
Read more on European Interest.

• Al Monitor report that Syrian confectioneries making traditional sweets and ice cream are establishing themselves in Lebanon, with some Syrians hopeful that “Damascene works; mosaics, motif fabrics, confectionery and so many other traditional practices related to heritage could be shared and presented to all of Beirut’s visitors.”
• Syrians are bringing their traditional hummus recipes and culinary heritage to Berlin as ways to remember and reconnect with their homeland. Read more on Live Mint.

On International Music Day, UNESCO celebrated how young Syrian refugees are keeping their traditional music alive. Watch more on the UNESCO Facebook page.

• A seminar hosted by the Arab Cultural Center in Abu Rummaneh in Damascus is showcasing the history of traditional Syrian glassmaking. Read more on SANA.
• The Damascus Tourism Directorate in Khan Asaad Basha in the Old City of Damascus held an exhibition of various traditional handicrafts, including mosaics, arabesque, and glass and copper work. Read more on SANA.

On 3rd October, Idleb Antiquites Center launched a campaign to protect the Antiquities of Idlib, with civil and national events. The campaign is to be followed by a national conference at the cultural center in Idlib in the presence and participation of senior dignitaries in civil and community work from inside and outside Syria.
There is a link to a petition on Avaaz as part of the campaign.

• Workers are conducting restoration of the 13th century Orthodox Christian Church of St George in Maaloula (a Tentative World Heritage site). Read more on the Centre for Religious Pluralism in the Middle East website.
• SANA reported on the restoration of the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo.

The General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums at Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts held an exhibit of over 500 recovered ancient Syrian artefacts.
Read more on SANA, on PRI, on the DGAM website, and in Hurriet News.

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ARCA’s Postgraduate program in Art Crime and Cultural Heritage Protection is now accepting applications.
Read more on the Art Crime Blogspot website.

The Non-Professional Archaeological Photographs project has the aim to preserve non-professional documentation of past archaeological campaigns to the future and make it accessible to the public via digital archives. At the moment they are tracing documentation of the excavations of:

• Mari/Tell Hariri;
• Dura Europos;
• Apamea.

Learn more on the NPAPH website.

The #NewPalmyra project, an effort to reconstruct the ancient site using modern technologies, has now launched Palmyraverse, an online space to view the resulting 3D monuments.
Read more on the All 3D Printing website.

The Centre for Religious Pluralism in the Middle East reported on the “launch of a ‘Counter-Islamophobia Toolkit’ [which] offers reason for hope at a time when racism is on the rise in many parts of Europe.”

The Institute for Digital Archaeology unveiled a reconstruction of Palmyra’s Triumphal Arch in Washington D.C. It was created using 3D scanning, printing and carving technology, and previously been displayed at New York’s City Hall Plaza, London’s Trafalgar Square, the G7 Summit in Florence and Dubai’s World Government Summit.
Read more on the IDA website.

A volunteer UK team will be assisting with the repair and rebuilding of heritage sites in Syria. Read more on the Business Up North website.

A workshop on cultural heritage in Aleppo concluded last week in Germany, which is part of a project to create an archaeological database of archaeological sites in and around Aleppo City. In the workshop, many postgraduate students of Aleppo in the archaeology department in Germany participated. Photos are available on Facebook.

At the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Syrians are helping museum visitors make connections between the ancient artifacts and the present-day cultures.
Read more on PRI.

A grant supporting immigrant integration in New Haven,Connecticut, will go to the local organization Music Haven and help fund a new string quartet that weaves together Syrian and Iraqi folk melodies. Read more on the New Haven Register here.

• 13 News Now wrote on the debate about how to preserve or rebuild museums, using the IDA’s reproduced Arch of Triumph as an example of one response to increased damage and threats to cultural sites.
• Fast Company used examples from Syria to discuss the importance of thinking about “civilization” as more than historic monuments of impressive sites.
• The Antiquities Coalition reported on a symposium at the New York Public Library on the critical role that cultural institutions play in engaging shared heritage.
• SANA published photos of ancient basalt sculptures at the National Museum of Dara.
• CGTN reported on the recent Chinese forum at the Palace Museum in Beijing, where there was a global forum on preserving humanity’s cultural heritage, drawing experts from Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, and Syria.