Syrian Researcher Dr. Ali Al-Qayyim: Syrian antiquities over one million and 800 thousand years old

The ancient Syrian civilizations and their richness in human principles is the title of the lecture given by the researcher Dr. Ali Al-Qayyim at  Abu Rummaneh cultural center  within the series of lectures of the Syrian Cosmic Society.  

Dr. Al-Qayyim  stressed  the importance of the Syrian antiquities, which are more than one million and 800 thousand years old, noting that the Syrian land embraced the three monotheistic religions and witnessed the establishment of temples and mosques and spread Sufism all over the world. 

Researcher Al-Qayyim indicated that the Syrian land, which is  rich in antiquities, has  attracted archaeologists from different parts of the world, so half of the great archaeologists were working in the Syrian archaeological sites. They revealed a civilization that witnessed the beginnings of the agricultural revolution, cities and stability, and the emergence of the first dictionary and the first peace treaty in the world, in addition to what the Ebla Library discovered including  documents which  changed the course of studying human history.

Al-Qayyim reviewed the severe destruction of the Syrian antiquities due to the terrorist war on Syria , as more than 900 archaeological sites were subjected to looting and plundering, stressing the need to benefit from the Syrian cultural heritage and include it in the curricula of the Ministry of Education and prompt people to read to learn more about Syrian civilization.  

The Syrian researcher  warned against the decline of culture due to the current circumstances and the effects of the war,  necessitating  the private sector’s   participation  in supporting and developing cultural projects. 

It is noteworthy to mention that Dr. Al-Qayyim  has worked for decades at  the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums and was appointed as an assistant to the Minister of Culture.  He was also  a deputy and a member of the Supreme Committee for the Reform of the Umayyad Mosque and Vice-Chairman of the Permanent Committee for Arab Culture emanating from the conferences of culture ministers in the Arab world.  He is also  a member at  the Arab Writers Union and represented Syria in many forums and conferences. 

The researcher Dr. Al-Qayyim wrote about  fifty books, including “the Museum of Medicine and Science of the Arabs” ,  “Bimaristan Nour Eddin”,  “Illuminations from the ancient memory” ,  “Women in the ancient civilizations of the Levant” ,  “Syria a million years civilization” and other books.  

Rawaa Ghanam