Sculpture of archeologist al-Asa’ad inaugurated at conclusion of “From Palmyra to Damascus” forum

DAMASCUS – A sculpture for the late archeologist, martyr Khaled al-Asa’ad was inaugurated on Wednesday at the conclusion of the 5th National Forum for Art and Innovation “From Palmyra to Damascus” which was held by Ministry of Tourism in Khan Asaad Basha in Damascus.

The closing ceremony included the screening of short films on the history of Palmyra and the events it has lately witnessed of destruction, acts of looting and ugly crimes perpetrated by terrorists against humanity, SANA reported.

 The films had the titles of “Zanobia, From Palmyra to Damascus,” “Syria, the land of Sun,” “Terrorism,” and “Tadmur”.

Family of late Khaled al-Asa’ad and a number of journalists and artists were also honored during the ceremony.

“The forum bears a message to the whole world that Syria is the cradle of all civilizations and religions, and it will remain so in spite of acts of takfiri terrorism,” Director of Damascus Tourism Department Mai al-Saleh said in a press statement.

The 5th edition of the National Forum for Art and Innovation kicked off on Sunday under the title of “From Palmyra to Damascus”.

The event has seen the statue of Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, being relocated and placed in al-Umawiyeen Square in Damascus.

A film highlighting the life course and remarkable achievements of Palmyra archeologist Khaled al-Asaad who recently was beheaded by the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) terrorists was also screened.