UNESCO

population, including children, forced
to witness the destruction of their
heritage. UNESCO called upon religious
leaders, intellectuals and young people
in particular to respond to the false
arguments of these fanatical extremists,
and to uphold the value of respect
for different cultures and religions.
Artists, film-makers and photographers
continue to cooperate with UNESCO
in documenting the great culture of
Mesopotamia, ensuring that it remains
a vital part of the memory of the world.
In 2015, two leading scholars of
Syrian antiquities lost their lives while
working to preserve their heritage. Khaled
Al-Asaad, head of antiquities in Palmyra,
was murdered in August after working
for more than 50 years at the site. Qasem
Abdullah Yehiya, the Assistant Director
of laboratories at the Syrian Directorate
General of Antiquities and Museums, died
in a rocket attack on the Damascus Citadel
and the National Museum. The Director-
General declared that ‘the untimely
deaths of Mr Al-Assad and Mr Yehiya
© UNESCO/Pilar Chiang-Joo
A crossroad of civilizations, rich of many
remains intact from Roman times, the World
Heritage site of Palmyra was a vibrant city
showing the intermingling of the peoples
of the area. The destructions perpetrated
in 2015 by violent extremists rendered this
place desolate. UNESCO ceaselessly reminded
the international community that protecting
heritage is as much about preserving Syria as
preserving its people. Above: Former view of
Palmyra’s Great Colonnade and Tetrapylon.
are a terrible loss to the cultural heritage
community in Syria and globally.‘
Syria’s heritage continued to be
targeted during the remainder of
2015. Details of damage to the Mar
Elian monastery, a major pilgrimage
site for Syria’s Christian community,
came amid news reports that several
hundred people, including Christians,
had been kidnapped by ISIL/Daesh.
Later in August, the Director-General
firmly condemned the destruction
of the ancient temple of Baalshamin,
one of the most important and best
preserved buildings in Palmyra. The
temple was erected in the first century
AD and enlarged by the Roman Emperor
Hadrian, and bore witness to the depth of
the pre-Islamic history of the country.
In September, the Temple of Bel at
Palmyra too was blown up. One of the
Orient’s most important religious edifices in
the 1st century, it represented a remarkable
fusion of the styles of the ancient Near
East and the Greco-Roman tradition.
UNESCO
Director-General
Irina Bokova met
President of France
François Hollande,
former French
Culture Minister
Fleur Pellerin, and
Francis Joannès
from the
Pantheon-Sorbonne
University, in
the Mesopotamian
Gallery of the
Louvre Museum,
on 18 March.
Together they sent
a strong message
of solidarity to the
people of Iraq and
Syria, and reiterated
the urgent need to
safeguard cultural
heritage of both
countries.
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