Photo: Colonnade and Qala’ at Ibn Maan, Palmyra.
Feldstein 2006, via Wikimedia Commons.
In 2015, the extremist group called the Islamic State (also called ISIS, and Da’esh) took over the World Heritage site of Palmyra, Syria, and caused high levels of deliberate destruction to the monuments there.
Although fighting continued elsewhere, Palmyra was recovered by retaken by the Syrian government. the Syrian antiquities authority began to consider damage assessment with a view to possible reconstruction. The international community was concerned by the reconstruction process, and a number of statements were issued.
Blue Shield International issued the following reflection.
22 April, 2016
We can only welcome the removal of Da’esh from the World Heritage Site of Palmyra and the initial analysis that, while extensive, damage has been less widespread than previously feared. The international heritage community must now support and stand together with Syrian colleagues to work to stabilise the site and prepare it for the future.
Read the BS_Reflections_on_Palmyra_-_April_2016
Read other Blue Shield statements on the Syrian conflict
