Antiquities and Museums Directorate Warns of Dangers of Turkey’s Attacks on Archaeological Sites in Afrin

DAMASCUS- The Antiquities and Museums Directorate has warned of dangers of the Turkish attacks that targeted archaeological sites in Afrin region in northern Syria.

Director General for Antiquities and Museums, Mahmoud Hammoud, on Monday warned of the dangers of the Turkish aggression on Afrin which is one of the Syrian richest areas in artifacts and monuments, SANA reported.

 “Mount Semaan includes three archaeological reserves listed on UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s list and all are in danger because they are near to Afrin area,” Hammoud said, stressing that “the Turkish regime’s destruction of the Ain Dara Temple was a barbaric act, and a completion of the plan led by this regime to destroy the Syrian cultural heritage.”

 He urged the international organizations and all those interested in cultural affair to condemn this aggression and intervene to stop the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria which is an integral part of the world human and cultural heritage.

 “The importance of the temple lies in that it is the only discovered one that represents the Aramaic civilization in Syria, where the Arameans built it during the first millennium BC,” Hammoud said.

He added that the Ain Dara temple is characterized by its rare basalt stone artifacts discovered in 1982 by a national mission. A Japanese expedition from Tokyo’s Old East Museum also contributed to the restoration process of some of its sculptures.