GDAM records Transgressions museums

The exceptional circumstances Syria is witnessing during the ongoing crisis have bad impacts on the Syrian cultural heritage, but it is worthy to mention that these impacts are not reported accurately with media using exaggeration in describing the current situation of Syria’s cultural heritage at a critical time we are in need of accurate information.

The General Directorate Of Antiquities and Museums has stated that all the contents of the Syrian museums are in safe and stored in secure locations ,clarifying the museums and archaeological sites have suffered from transgressions.

The statement said the directorate is working hard in cooperation with the concerned bodies and local communities to alleviate the effects of the current crisis, noting these efforts succeeded in protecting several sites  and recovered stolen antiquities.

The statement detailed the damage inflicted upon the Syrian archaeological sites since the beginning of the crisis, referring the contents of the museums were packed and removed to safe locations along with important historical documents that are placed in safe warehouses to be protected against arson, humidity and theft.

” since the beginning of the crisis, the vandalism of the museums are limited to the theft of a gold-plated bronze statue dating back to the Aramaic period from Hama Museum, a marble fragment from Apamea Museum,17 pieces of pottery and clay dolls from  Jaabar castle in addition to material damages to the building of several museums  caused by the armed terrorist groups” the statement added.

According to the statement,  the citadels of Aleppo, Al-Madiq, Al-Rahab, Shezar and Krak des Chevalies were caused to damage, the burning of hundreds of  antique shops and the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, as well as the” Argonian” antique hospital which was used as a museum for medicines. 

The statement indicated that a number of churches, places of worships, houses and traditional markets in Homs and Daraa  Governorate were also sustained to hostile damaged caused by the foreign- baked armed terrorist groups.

Rawaa Ghanam