Abdulkarim Warns of Terrorist Danger Threatening Palmyra, the Pearl of the Syrian Desert

 DAMASCUS, (ST) – Dr. Mamoun Abdulkarim, Director of the General Directorate of Syrian Antiquates and Museums (GDAM) has called on the international community to prevent a possible danger threatening the Syrian archeological city of Palmyra in Homs governorate.

In a statement on Saturday, Abdulkarim said clashes are escalating in the surrounding of Palmyra archeological city after the terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria “ISIS” had warned of attacking the historical city from several directions.

 The Syrian Arab army has been fighting ISIS terrorists in Palmyra countryside and repelling their bids to proceed towards the historical city.

“Our concern is growing over possible infiltration by the terrorist gangs into the archeological city which if happened will cause a real disaster to an old civilization that is worth to be defended by all means especially because it has given humanity important cultural achievements and has represented a link between the East and the West over centuries,” Abdulkarim said.

“Today, this city is facing the danger of being attacked and destroyed by ISIS terrorists who aim to eradicate one of the brightest pages of Syria’s history and cultural heritage,” Abdulkarim added, urging the international community to act immediately to prevent a terrorist crime against one of the Middle East’s most famous UNESCO world heritage sites.

The GDAM director reminded the world of the Security Council Resolution No. 2199 issued in February 2015 calling for drying up terrorism resources and protecting the threatened cultural heritage in Syria and Iraq.

“We still hope that this resolution will be followed by executive procedures to implement the international will aiming at maintaining Syria’s cultural heritage. Such procedures include among other things forcing Syria’s neighboring countries to control their borders, combating systematic smuggling of our heritage across borders and halting the crimes of systematic destruction committed by the terrorist takfiri gangs against the Syrian historical monuments,” Abdulkarim said.   

He also reminded of the systematic destruction caused to the Syrian cultural heritage because of the spread of antiquities smugglersin different parts of Syria since 2013.

The Syria cultural heritage has been struggling for the fifth year running to stay after the big destruction of many historical monuments, buildings and markets in several Syrian cities like Aleppo, Homs, Daraa and Bosra.

Abdulkarim urged all the Syrians nationwide to defend their history and cultural identity and to be unified against the terrorist takfiri groups and smuggling gangs which seek looting the Syrian diverse cultural heritage.

Hamda Mustafa