Early Warning & Threat Monitoring of Syrian Cultural Heritage

[Global Heritage Network]

GHN Heritage Hero Emma Cunliffe (Durham University, UK) has just updated GHN with timely articles and videos that outline the latest damage to various important cultural heritage sites across Syria during the ongoing conflict there.

Apamea, Syria (click here to visit site on GHN)

The ancient citadel of Qal’at al-Mudiq at the major Greek site of Apamea (Afamia) has been shelled by Syrian forces, as evidenced from harrowing video captured during a bombardment on March 26th.  Click here to see the video.

 

Palmyra, Syria (click here to visit site on GHN)

Protestors have made use of this UNESCO World Heritage Site during recent protests on December 30^th of 2011. Click here to see the video.

 

Al-Bara, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Syria (click here to visit site on GHN)

Clear footage of damage caused by shell and machine gun fire can be seen at the site of Al-Bara in this video uploaded to Youtube.

 

Crac des Chevaliers, Syria (click here to visit site on GHN)

Reports of damage have been coming in recently, however none have been supported with direct photo or video evidence. However, protestors have also used this ancient citadel as a place of protest.  See protest footage here.

[Emma Cunliffe]

Jenni - most of the information comes via this Facebook group, (although I'm also keeping tabs on news articles and the like).  They aren't always correct (they keep confusing Crak des Chevaliers and Qal'at al-Mudiq), but since the conflict started they have been regualrly collating information regarding damage to all of the Syria's heritage sites:

https://www.facebook.com/Archeologie.syrienne

[Kanita Besirevic]

Hello, I have the opposite information: in every Muslim society, and Siria is not an exception, cultural heritage of all other religions and from any era of past time has been carefully preserved through time. Educated people know that it is simply part of Islam: obligation to afford rights to live in best ways to everybody, not only to Muslims. Muslims do not demolish cultural heritage and this must be fabricated, false information. So please don't share lies.

[Global Heritage Network]

Thanks, Jenni!

[Jenni Lukac]

Thanks for posting this information. I've sent it out via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.