Unesco has already begun work to identify the destruction of heritage in Syria and Turkey. Maamoun Abdulkarim, former director general of antiquities and museums in Syria, pleads to “put politics aside”.
Since the February 6 earthquake that killed more than 9,500 people in Turkey and Syria, Maamoun Abdulkarim has been receiving photos in dribs and drabs on his phone. The archaeologist, former director of antiquities and museums in Syria, known for having saved many works from 2012 to 2017, is distressed by this “new misfortune affecting his country”. The war has already caused much destruction there. And now, the citadel of Aleppo, inscribed on the list of world heritage in danger, is damaged. In Turkey, part of the Diyarbakir fortress, listed as World Heritage, has collapsed.
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But who to care about heritage? “People are looking for their bodies and their wounded. Who can be free to work on heritage conservation in this area? How do you expect them to be asked for help?”worries Maamoun Abdulkarim.
A tower of the citadel of Aleppo has collapsed, parts of the defensive walls have cracked, the minaret of the Ayyubid mosque, the facade of the Ottoman hospice and other parts of the citadel are damaged. But there are also many other valuable sites at risk. In the province of Hama, in central western Syria, archaeological teams reported damage to the ancient castle of Al-Marqab in the city of Banyas, as well as the partial collapse of walls and ‘a tower. Historic facades have also collapsed in the city of Hama. In Qadmus, a rocky cliff fell near the town’s castle in the province of Tartous and residential buildings collapsed within the castle grounds.
The 700 ancient deserted villages in northern Syria, known as “dead cities”, testimonies of the Roman and Byzantine eras, are also affected. About forty of them are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. “We have to move before it’s too latecalls the archaeologist. There may be things to save”, But his colleagues in Syria no longer have the budget to make these assessments, explains Maamoun Abdulkarim. According to him, the only possible solution, currently, would be to quickly collect satellite images. He calls for the support of the international community. “It’s a world heritage. You have to put politics aside.”
Twelve years of civil war, international sanctions… So many brakes which are already enormously slowing down, today, the arrival of humanitarian aid.