Syria to Rehabilitate the Monuments Destroyed by ISIS

Systematic destructions caused by militant Islamic state on the territory of Syria and other countries in the Middle East, concerns some historical monuments of exceptional importance for humanity

The restoration of historic monuments in Palmira that were destroyed by the group Islamic State could take five years, estimated the Museum Director in Syria, Maamoun Abdelkarim, in a statement to AFP on Monday.

Beside the XIII century monuments that were damaged during the fighting to capture the city, the jihadists destroyed the famous ancient temples Bel and Baalshamin and Arc de Triumph. Still, 80% of the ancient ruins are in good condition, said Maamoun Abdelkarim. He also noted that a team of specialist is already on site to assess the situation and measure the damage.

Syria enjoys qualified personnel, skills and education needed for this long process of rehabilitation. The Museum Director says that if the consent from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will be obtained, the restoration work could begin within a year.

An exceptional meeting of specialist in the monuments of Palmyra will be held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris this week, Abdelkarim said, referring to a discussion with the Managing Director of this organization Irina Bokova.

The refugees try also to keep alive the cultural memory of their people. A group of Syrian refugees came up with a great idea. A year ago, Ahmad Hariri, leader of the community of Syrian refugees in Camp za'atar, Iran, gathered around him artists to recreate in miniature historical sites and monuments destroyed by Islamist terrorists. For model, artists have used materials available in shelters where they live: pieces of wood, clay and stone.

Although the artists do not have access to all the materials they need, the layouts that they create transmit to the future generations the history and the cultural memory they left behind.