Restoration work on the historic Afqa spring in Palmyra is almost complete

Homs Antiquities Director Hosam Hamish said in a statement to SANA that the restoration work included the removal of the spring stream from the rubble and the restoration of the archaeological cave and its exit, which had been damaged by terrorist attacks.

Hamish noted that the work also involved the detection of the entire staircase leading to the spring stream, and the reconstruction of the wall above the cave using old stone-like embroidered stones that are similar to ancient stones. In addition to the discovery of some of the archeological levels adjacent to the spring site in order to restore the historic spring site as it used to be.

Hamish clarified that the project, which is carried out by a Syrian-Russian archeological team under the supervision of the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, is co-financed by the Russian Historical and Cultural Heritage Preservation Association “Exploratory Volunteer Corps”, as well as a number of archeologists from the Moscow Heritage Institute and the Kabardino-Balkaria Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences And the Russian company (OKN Project).

It is noteworthy that the historic Afqa Spring is a water spring and an archaeological cave carved into the rock some six thousand years ago, and it was vandalized due to the attacks of the terrorist organization (ISIS), which targeted it with the entire city.