Three artifacts delivered to the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums

Damascus(ST)- The Russian Coordination Center in Damascus handed over to the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums  three artifacts dating back to the first and second centuries BC, which were found in the ancient city of Palmyra.

The pieces are Palmyran artifacts dating back to the first and second centuries BC, which is considered the period of prosperity, and may be part of a sandstone lintel engraved with plant and geometric decorations, in addition to a piece of a stone lintel. The third piece is part of a Palmyrene funerary statue.

The Head of the Russian Coordination Center in Damascus Oleg Ignasyuk pointed out during the handover of the artifacts at the National Museum in Damascus that the” continuous cooperation between the center and the Ministry of Culture that began years ago, resulted in the return of many artifacts that were prepared for smuggling and were found after clearing many areas of terrorists, especially in the city of Palmyra.”

The Director General of Antiquities and Museums Mohammed Awad appreciated the great efforts made by the Russian side in preserving the Syrian heritage, recalling that the Russian friends contributed honorably to the liberation of the city of Palmyra, in addition to the blood that the Russian side also shed to preserve Syria’s history and its rich and ancient heritage.

 Awad explained that the pieces received by the Directorate today are considered important pieces, and they are parts of other pieces that may be somewhere in either the Palmyra Museum or the Damascus Museum.

Awad praised the constructive cooperation with the director of the Russian side in the Arch of Triumph restoration project as a field director of the joint project within an agreement between the Ministry of Culture, the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums, the Syria Trust for Development and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Aourwa Deep