The city of Homs has been ravaged by war, leaving millions of people homeless and displaced.
Abduljalil Achraf
After ten years of conflict and destruction, what is left of Syria and what hope is there for its people?
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There is a surprising amount of support for the destruction of antiquities in the Middle East.
The Otsuka Museum of Art in Tokushima features a full-sized replica of the Sistine Chapel.
Kzaral/Flickr
Increasingly sophisticated technology allows us to make close-to-perfect copies of everything from paintings to burial chambers. Can a replica bring artefacts to new audiences?
A burnt ancient manuscript at the Ahmed Baba Centre for Documentation and Research, in Timbuktu.
Benoit Tessier/Reuters
The ICC sentence against Al-Mahdi for destroying ancient artifacts at Timbuktu sends the right message that the international community will not tolerate the destruction of heritage sites.
The 1,200 year old Umayyad Mosque – also known as the Great Mosque of Aleppo – lost its minaret (on left) in 2013 after continued heavy gunfire between rebels and Syrian government forces.
Reuters
It is important to prosecute militants who destroy antiquities. But ‘everyday’ development - from dams flooding towns to the impact of mining on Indigenous rock art – does vastly more damage to heritage than war.
Death and destruction are a daily reality in Syria as the civil war drags on.
Reuters/SANA
Tourism will have to be a key element in future peace-building and peace-keeping strategies in Syria.
Frank Augstein/AP
A model Palmyra’s Arch of Triumph, made in Italy from Egyptian marble, has been installed in London’s Trafalgar Square. Is this such a good thing?
Omar Sanadiki/Reuters
Unpaid volunteers are negotiating with Islamic State and facing military attacks as they try to save Syria’s ancient cities.
Palmyra ruined.
ShutterstockAnton Ivanov
Political will could have rescued Palmyra. Here’s why it didn’t.
EPA
News from Syria that the ancient town has been taken back from Islamic State is good news – but especially for Putin and Assad.
The ancient site of Palmyra, parts of which have reportedly now been destroyed by Islamic State.
Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Using technology to recreate heritage items can help connect nations.
Satellite images have confirmed the destruction of the Temple of Bel.
Gustau Nacarino/Reuters
The ongoing destruction of Palmyra is a tragedy, a betrayal of the past and an impoverishment of the future.
Palmyra’s Temple of Bel, pre-Islamic State.
Reuters/Gustau Nacarino
The robust international laws meant to protect cultural heritage are worth little without real international action.
The ancient city of Palmyra.
Ulrich Waack/Wikipedia
Khaled al-Asaad was a world renowned scholar before his death at the hands of Islamic State.
After witnessing the rise and fall of many empires, the ancient site of Palmyra is under threat from Islamic State.
Phillip George
Conflict involving Islamic State has raised the prospect of the destruction of Palmyra, a World Heritage site in Syria. It’s not the first time the region has been invaded, but it may well be the last.
The Venice of the Sands.
EPA/SANA
The destruction of Iraq and Syria’s cultural heritage is more than wanton vandalism – it’s a grim political project.