Museum reopened after war closure

DAMASCUS - Syrian officials, foreign archaeologists and restoration specialists attended the reopening ceremony of the Syria's National Museum in the heart of Damascus on Sunday, more than six years after the prominent institution was shut down and emptied as the country's civil war encroached on the capital.

The reopening of the museum was hailed as a return to normal life by officials eager to cash in on the Syrian armed forces' military victories against armed groups, who had only recently shelled Damascus and threatened the seat of the government in the capital, coming only miles from the presidential palace.

Over successive military advances, and with the backing of allies Russia and Iran, Syrian troops moved in on rebel holdouts on the outskirts of Damascus, expelling the armed groups to the north and restoring calm.