Hypogeum of the Three Brothers in Palmyra ‘in good shape’- DGAM

Director General of the DGAM has affirmed that the hypogeum of the Three Brothers, which dates back to 160 AD,in Palmyra stayed intact.

Maamoun Abdul Karim was quoted on the official news agency (SANA) as saying that he and 30 archaeologists toured ancient sites in Palmyra and saw that the hypogeum [underground chamber- cemetery ] of the three brothers,  was in good shape.

The hypogeum was built by three brothers- Male’a, Sa’adi and Na’amaai- in order to be a cemetery for them and their sons and grandsons and it was restored by the national mission in 2000. 

As for the other sites in the city of Palmyra, The Tishreen newspaper reported yesterday that the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) received new photos of the city, taken by a drone, in cooperation the photographer Shadi Martik and the French architect Yves Ublemann from the ICONEM Firm.

The photos show all the sites destroyed by the ISIS terrorists, who occupied the city for 10 months from May 2015 until March 2016.

In this context, the US professor Franklin Lamb said in a report entitled ‘ the wounded phoenix of Palmyra’ that the local community increasingly strongly opposed the wanton ISIS destruction, often risking their lives to end the iconoclasm.

“The local citizens’ resistance and public demonstrations prevented more damage to their and our cultural heritage and identity,” he said, indicating that the DGAM staff quickly and methodically transported approximately 400 full statues or heads of statutes plus hundreds of exhibits when ISIS invaded the city.

Basma Qaddour