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Jewish Cultural Heritage Initiative
ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives and the Foundation for Jewish Heritage have completed a research project called the Jewish Cultural Heritage Initiative (JCHI), assessing the state of Jewish heritage in Iraq and Syria. JCHI utilized satellite imagery, desk-based assessment, and collaboration with in-country sources to assemble a list of the most significant Jewish heritage sites in Iraq and Syria from antiquity to the present day, assess their history and condition, and identify priority emergency relief and stabilization projects. They found at least 32 out of 71 sites were completely destroyed. The fate of 8% of the Jewish sites in Syria is currently unclear. The report also confirms that the Bandara Synagogue in Aleppo and the Synagogue of the Prophet Elijah in Damascus are the most endangered buildings.
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Report documents looting of artifacts and monumental damage to Syrian heritage
Al-Jazeera and The Organization for World Peace wrote about a joint report issued by the Gerda Herkel Foundation, and the Syrian Society for the Protection of Antiquities. The report documents damage to 29 museums, heritage sites, and archaeological sites from ground and air bombing, in addition to the theft of at least 40,635 artifacts from museums, warehouses and places of worship.
The report called on the Syrian General Department of Antiquities and Museums to work on preparing a report on the state of museums, setting up a digital database, and conducting detailed research to reveal the exact number of stolen artifacts.
The report also called for an investigation into the transfer of 450 boxes containing thousands of artifacts to Dubai by former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass during his departure from the country in 2011.
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Damaged artefacts inside the museum in the historical city of Palmyra [image: Al-Jazeera]
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Five people have been arrested in Paris for smuggling antiquities
The Art Newspaper reported that French police have arrested five art experts in an investigation into the widespread trafficking of looted antiquities from the Middle East and Near East.
According to a legal source the case is related to the sale of hundreds of artifacts for tens of millions of euros, which are believed to have been stolen from Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Libya. The same legal source indicated that among the detainees is a former museum curator from the Louvre Museum in Paris.
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Facebook and Instagram prohibit trafficking in looted artifacts
BBC News reported that Facebook had recently banned the artefact trade on the social media platform, after a strong campaign by researchers from The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research (ATHAR) Project and investigation conducted by BBC News, which both evidenced sales of stolen antiquities from Iraq and Syria via the popular social media platform. The move was welcomed by many experts. Some went on to emphasise that the website should use teams of experts to pursue and delete these groups, but others criticized Facebook's policy regarding deleting posts that violate community standards, saying that Facebook should maintain a digital archive of photos that may not be found anywhere. Such photos could be considered vital evidence that may help in the identification and return of these stolen goods if they appear on the market.
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A report on the confiscation of looted Palmyrene funerary reliefs in Idlib
Syrians for Heritage Association (SIMAT) reported that the Idlib Antiquities Center, supported by local organizations and some administrative and judicial authorities in Idlib governorate, was recently able to confiscate a number of Palmyrene funerary reliefs and to prevent any attempt to sell them. The confiscated objects were deposited in Idlib Museum in order to protect them, and to systematically document and study them.
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An exhibition of artworks executed on a traditional loom in Lattakia
Syria Times reported about an art exhibition held by the artist Ali Hmaisheh in Lattakia Governorate, which contains his artwork executed on the heritage loom, with the aim of enhancing the role of artists in reviving this unique heritage craft. The exhibition adopts a new idea in terms of technology and tools, as Hmaisheh transformed his paintings into woven works on the traditional loom, which varied between abstraction and expression, in addition to famous international artists.
Hmaisheh stressed the importance of preserving this intangible cultural heritage of arts and crafts and textiles for our future generations, and its historical and cultural importance as some of these art forms have an unparalleled demand in the international market.
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Remembering a place - remembering ways of life: Untold histories of the people of Palmyra/Syria
What happens to a city when all its inhabitants flee? What happens to the stories and memories of the people related to that place? The Syrian archeologist Hasan Ali, who grew up and worked in Palmyra until 2015, started to collect the histories of the former Palmyrenes in diaspora in the framework of the Stewards of Cultural Heritage Project. The results that the project has achieved so far in the fields of training in cultural preservation and the mediation of Syria's cultural heritage can be used for the benefit of Syrian refugees in Turkey and Europe. Read the story in the European Heritage Days.
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Documenting the current situation of the old villages in Northern Syria
Syrians for Heritage Association (SIMAT), in cooperation with the Idlib Archeology Center, launched an initiative entitled "Between yesterday and today" with the aim of recording the current reality of the Ancient Villages in Northern Syria (many of which are in a UNESCO recognised World Heritage site), and shedding light on the changes that have occurred in this region during the recent years of conflict.
The initiative calls on all people interested in heritage to send their old or new photos of the ruins and relics of the old villages, and the SIMAT team will then take the same shots but for present time so everyone can see the current situation and distinguish the changes that have occurred.
An online catalog will be created that includes all the photos with the names of the participants and information about the target area, the goal in the future will be to organize an open exhibition in Syria and some Syrian diaspora countries.
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Signing a Memorandum of Understanding on preserving the Syrian heritage
SANA reported that the Syrian Ministry of Tourism and Wathiqat Wattan Organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of preserving Syrian identity and heritage.
The Minister of Tourism stressed the importance of the organization's role in documenting the war against Syria that targets Syrian identity and culture, while the chair of the organization’s Board of Trustees stressed on the need to unite efforts to protect and document the Syrian heritage
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Restoration work begins at the tomb of the Umayyad caliph Omar bin Abdulaziz
Syria Times reported that the Ministry of Awqaf has started work on the restoration of the Omar bin Abdulaziz Shrine in Al-Deir Al-Sharqi town in Idlib. The Director of Endowments in Aleppo said that a team of specialists has visited the site and started the process, noting that the shrine will be re-opened soon for visitors.
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Restoration of urban cultural heritage after conflict: a toolkit for workers in this field
The German Archaeology Institute and Archaeological Heritage Network (Archaeological Network) provides an electronic toolkit in the context of a project entitled "Urban Cultural Heritage in conflict zones". This toolkit provides guidance and recommendations on the protection and saving cultural heritage in historical cities in the Middle East Cessation of armed conflict.
Its purpose is to enable experts to deal with maintenance and restoration requirements in parallel with the redevelopment of the urban areas.
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Restoration project of al-Saqtiyeh Market nominated for ICCROM award
SANA reported how the Al-Saqtiyeh Market Restoration project in the ancient city of Aleppo has been nominated for the ICCROM Sharjah International Award for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Arab Region 2019-2020.
The market was opened in October last year, following the rehabilitation project, implemented under the supervision of local experts in cooperation between the Ministry of Culture, the Syrian Trust for Development, the Directorate of Museums and Antiquities, Agha Khan Network for Development and Aleppo City Council.
The restoration project has all the factors that qualify it for the nomination, in particular preserving the features of every historical epoch for all the buildings, with focus on the buildings surrounding the Umayyad Mosque.
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UNESCO's Online Expert Meeting on illegal trafficking of cultural items
UNESCO held an online discussion on how to combat the increase in illegal excavations and illegal traffic in cultural items during the Covid 19-pandemic. The objective of this meeting was to understand how to regulate illicit trafficking in cultural property and its online sales, and to identify measures that various actors have taken to strengthen the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property.
The online meeting targeted specialists in cultural heritage and museums, as well as the general public, in order to raise awareness on this issue.
You can visit the UNESCO channel on YouTube to watch this meeting.
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Lost Art Project
The Antiquities Coalition reported on twitter about a new blog from Anthony Amore, the Lost Art Project, tackles the latest international Art Crime questions. The blog is dedicated to informing the public about the problem of art-related crimes and brings to the fore important works that have been stolen but remain unrecovered.
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Neptune Temple in Italy hosts a concert for Syria
Arab News reported about a concert dedicated to the suffering of the Syrian people over the past nine years. The ceremony was held on stage in front of the Neptune Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Italy, on the fifth of July. The concert was performed by Ricardo Muti, the opera star, with the participation of the expatriate Syrian Philharmonic Orchestra, which was formed by Syrian musicians and academics living in European Union countries. Moti said that this ceremony was dedicated to Syria, especially the ancient city of Palmyra, the archaeological site that ISIS destroyed.
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News Updates
(Not covered in other sections)
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- SANA reported that the Syrian Association for Exploration and Documentation had set up a tourist trip to the historic city of Palmyra with the aim of recording observations about the affected archaeological areas. The visit included Palmyra National Museum and the archaeological area, along with the oasis of palms and olives and the historic Afqa Spring.
- The Mirror and the Express reported on an interview conducted by Husham Hashimi, an Iraqi working at a US-based global research center, with Abdul Nasser Qardash, one of the leaders of ISIS in prison. Qirdash admitted that the organization had an obscene wealth of antiquities, and they tried to transfer these antiquities to Europe with a view to selling them; he added that this applied in particular to Syrian antiquities. He also said that this money was used to finance soldiers, commanders, and their families, to purchase weapons, equipment, and raids, to manage battles and to develop weapons.
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