Five funerary statues of Palmyra antiquities were stolen during the years of the war on Syria, and the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums is working to restore them to become part of the collections of the Damascus National Museum.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture, these pieces were from the assets of the Nabu Museum in Beirut, that had  previously been bought from European auction houses.

Aleppo, (ST) -  The mercenaries of the Turkish occupation have intensified excavations for antiquities under the direct supervision of Turkish intelligence bodies in the archaeological area of Tel Dodari in the Turkish-occupied city of Afrin in Aleppo northern countryside, as part of their organized criminal practices against the Syrian heritage.

The Daraa Department of Antiquities has completed the restoration works of the second phase of the Muzayrib Castle and the first phase of the corridors of the Roman Amphitheater.

Head of Daraa Antiquities Department, Dr. Muhammad Khair Nasrallah stated on Tuesday that the restoration work of the Muzayrib Castle included dismantling and installing stone facades, presenting a carved stone similar to the main stone, removing soil and implementing a traditional mound to support the stones. These activities were carried out side by side with others aiming at the restoration of the corridors of the Roman amphitheater which sustained damage due to natural factors.

Last year, Al-Hosn Castle (Krak des Chevaliers) returned to the map of tourist attractions as a result of the restoration projects and welcomed 15,000 visitors including Arab and foreign delegations. 

Al-Hosn Castle (Krak des Chevaliers), which has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2006, was subjected to sabotage attacks and thefts from terrorist organizations throughout 2012 and 2013 before the Syrian Arab Army restored security and safety to it in March 2014. 

Homs is considered one of the ancient cities that were famous for minting coins, as historical sources indicate that it was the first city where Islamic coins were minted due to its importance at that stage.

In view of the great importance that the city of Homs enjoyed, the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius, the ruler of Rome, minted coins between the years 138 and 161 AD on which the sacred Homs stone, carried by an eagle was inscribed and the word Imishon, which means Homsi people, was written around it.

The “Dar Al-Sakah” in Homs minted a large number of beautiful copper coins, some of which were decorated with animal drawings, such as the elephant, and others did not have any inscriptions or pictures.

The city of Homs continued to mint money at the beginning of the Abbasid state, but for many reasons, the power of Homs began to weaken and decline. With the beginning of the Ayyubid period, signs of investment boom, population growth, and urbanization rebounded.

Amal Farhat