Civil war takes toll on Syrian cultural heritage

Satellite imagery indicates that 290 cultural heritage sites in Syria - whose history stretches back to the dawn of civilization and whose heritage spans the great empires of the Middle East - have been damaged by its ongoing civil war, the United Nations' training and research arm said on Tuesday.

Cultural sites and buildings around the country, such as Aleppo's Umayyad Mosque, have been looted, damaged or destroyed in the 3-year-old conflict.

Using commercially available satellite pictures, the UN Institute for Training and Research found that 24 sites were destroyed, 189 severely or moderately damaged, and a further 77 possibly damaged.

This is "an alarming testimony of the ongoing damage that is happening to Syria's vast cultural heritage", UNITAR said in a new report.

"National and international efforts for the protection of these areas need to be scaled up in order to save as much as possible of this important heritage (for) humankind."

Clashes between Syrian government forces and rebels have damaged historical sites and buildings throughout Syria. Pillaging has threatened tombs in the desert town of Palmyra, and Roman temples have been damaged.

The report documented widespread damage to cultural heritage sites, including UNESCO World Heritage Sites, mostly in the northern city of Aleppo.

Both sides in the conflict have used ancient fortresses as military bases. The army has positioned snipers on Aleppo's Citadel, one of the oldest and largest castles in the world.

(China Daily 12/24/2014 page12)