Looting, bombing and overall destruction of
antique sites, even those listed by UNESCO as part of our word heritage hurt me
deeply. They are part of our history and part of our culture that is being lost
for ever – and for what!
In previous posts I have tried to draw the
world’s attention to this problem, although this will not help in any way to
protect these precious treasures.
For those who share this sorrow with me and
want to be kept updated, there is this collection of wonderful articles assembled
by ASOR
Syrian Heritage Initiative on their Facebookpages. Near-weekly reports
are being published there providing full information and illustration of what
is happening in that beaten country.
Syria is immensely rich in history going
back all the way to the Bronze Age (Mari, Ebla,
Qatna, and Ugarit)
and was occupied by great civilizations like the Sumerians, Egyptians,
Hittites, Assyrians and the Babylonians. It saw the rise of the Phoenicians. It
suffered invasions by the Persians till Alexander
the Great arrived and his empire was in turn taken over by the Seleucids.
During the first century BC it became a Roman province and lived a moment of
glory under its own Queen Zenobia
till it declined under Byzantine expansion. Let us not forget the rise of
Christianity (Aramaic) and Islam (Arabs), the repeated attacks by the Crusaders and the
conquest by the Ottoman Empire. I perfectly
realize that this kind of summary is absurd for it is impossible to rush with
such giant steps through so many centuries and civilizations, but at least I
tried to draw a picture of the country’s unique past.
I am certain that whoever visited any of the
grand sites and cities of Syria
will look on with a bleeding heart and tearing eyes. The absurdity of war –
still questioned after so many centuries …
