Challenges, Strategies and High-Tech Applications for Saving the Cultural Heritage of Syria, pp. 117-132, 2022/03/24
Proceedings of the Workshop held at the 10th ICAANE in Vienna, April 2016
Years of civil war in Syria and the seizure of much of northern Iraq and Syria by extremists have precipitatedwhat is currently the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. While the international community must focus first andforemost on ending the conflict and meeting basic human needs, protecting the region’s irreplaceable cultural heritageforms an integral and inextricable part of humanitarian efforts Looting, deliberate destruction of heritage places byextremists, combat damage, and illegal development occur daily in Syria and northern Iraq and are obliterating thecultural patrimony of millennia. Extremists are systematically disassembling the heritage sector in the conflict zoneand seek to stamp out cultural diversity in what is nothing short of a war on culture These crimes threaten to proliferateand spread the conflict, complicate peace efforts, and erode future stability and prosperity. Cultural identities and thefutures of countless vibrant communities hang in the balance To help to address these challenges, the U S Departmentof State and the American Schools of Oriental Research completed a cooperative agreement in August 2014 formingthe ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives.
Keywords: heritage; looting; conflict; destruction; Syria; Iraq
