The Pearl of the Desert and the Forum of Ancient Civilizations .. The exhibition "Return to Palmyra" re-explores the treasures of the destroyed city

For 5 years, the city of Palmyra in Syria remained under the control of armed groups, and after its departure from it, the extent of the destruction and blasting of its monuments and historical monuments was revealed, and the aim was not only to erase the memory of the city and its ancient sites, but also to destroy a global heritage owned by humanity. Interrogate yet.

In its first online exhibition in Arabic, entitled "Return to Palmyra," the Getty Foundation, the world leader in arts and culture, tries to rediscover the legacy of the ancient city of Palmyra and its rich history, through exceptional collections of rare photographs of the ancient ruins of the city, by the French photographer Louis Vignes (1831–31). 1896), and drawings created by the French architect Louis François Casas (1756-1827), using modern technological means, with new texts and translation into Arabic.

Palmyra is one of the oldest historical cities in the world according to the UNESCO classification (the island)

The exhibition highlights the multiculturalism that the ancient city of Palmyra has enjoyed, due to its geographical location that made it a center of trade, linking different civilizations and empires, and it was a meeting place for human diversity that arose in the Near East desert and continued for several ages, which is embodied by its sculptures and architecture that blended between Unique and varied urban models, and created a distinct aesthetic philosophy.

The ancient city of Palmyra - which is in the middle of the map of Syria, and administratively follows the governorate of Homs - is one of the oldest historical cities in the world, and since 1980 it has been listed on the UNESCO list of internationally protected historical places.

Director of the "Getty" Research Institute, Mary Miller, hopes that the exhibition will contribute to raising archaeological awareness of the rich history of Palmyra, after it suffered from difficult conditions due to the war in Syria.

With western eyes

The exhibition highlights new historical sources that shed light on the history of Palmyra from the perspective of foreign researchers who have deeply studied the region, and are supported by the studies of researchers from among the city's residents.

Like the researcher Walid Al-Asaad, the son of the former director of antiquities and museums in Palmyra, Khaled Al-Asaad, who was killed in public in 2015 by the Islamic State while trying to defend the city's cultural heritage.

From the drawings of the French architect Louis Francois Casas (The Island)

To this end, Giti collaborated with a team of 5 Arab researchers and specialists to provide advice in every step of preparing the exhibition, seeking to provide comprehensive reading and comprehensive visual experiences characterized by the consistency and attractiveness of its content and attractiveness in both Arabic and English.

The exhibition includes additional electronic information sources that document the city of Palmyra before and after the destruction that befell it, including a site for a digital project dedicated to preserving the heritage of Palmyra, and it reviews virtual works to reconstruct the city and 3D models of its most important monuments.

The Getty Foundation provides access to most of the rare "Return to Palmyra" exhibition, digitally sharing it, and re-using it for free, under a "Creative Commons" license, in order to reinforce its commitment to the "open content" program.

Frances Terbak, curator and head of the photo department, believes that the aim of the exhibition "Return to Palmyra" is to become the largest source of knowledge for students, researchers and the public interested in learning about this world heritage site through the online exhibition and other printed and electronic sources.

Francis Terbak hopes the exhibition will enhance students 'and researchers' knowledge about the history of Palmyra (Al-Jazeera)

Terpak told Al-Jazeera Net, "The importance of Palmyra stemming from its being part of the cultural history of the world cannot be ignored, which prompted the Getty Foundation to share its knowledge about Palmyra's treasures in the past and present and raise awareness of them, as it is important to draw the world's attention to the fragile situation of the historic city." Which was a prosperous society, and the needs of its people residing in it until now, and for those who wish the soul to return to it one day. "

In addition to the city of Palmyra, UNESCO has included 5 other Syrian archaeological sites on the World Heritage List, which are the old neighborhoods of Damascus, Qalaat al-Madiq, Qalaat al-Hosn, and Old Aleppo, which is the oldest human settlement currently in the world, and one of the largest religious centers in the ancient world. And the ancient city of Bosra, and the ancient villages in northern Syria, where there are areas north of the limestone plateau, and includes hundreds of ancient monasteries and churches.

The exhibition allows access to and share rare pictures of Palmyra (Al-Jazeera)

Desert pearl

And between 2015 and 2017, ISIS launched an attack on the most prominent ruins of the ancient city, dubbed the Pearl of the Desert, including the "Baalshamin" and "Bell" temples, the "Trabilon" site, the façade of the Roman theater dating back to the second century BC, some of the long street columns, and many more Of the tower cemeteries located in the west of the city, dating between 9 BC and 128 AD, especially "Elabel", "Yamliku" and "Ketut", and these tombs - which the ancient Palmyrians called "eternal houses" - reflect an architectural style Palmyra par excellence.

And after ISIS blew up the remaining landmarks before leaving the city, previously exposed to earthquakes, sabotage, looting and natural threats throughout the ages, and it was the turn of the Syrian regime forces, which transferred antiquities from around the city to warehouses in the capital Damascus, and there were reports that parts of them were sold in The black market is for the benefit of influential Syrian figures who are believed to have made their way outside of Syria.

The exhibition presents new historical resources that shed light on the history of Palmyra (Al-Jazeera)

And the police of the protection of cultural heritage in Italy found a huge archaeological funerary statue stolen from Palmyra, which was found by a possessor of historical objects in the city of Ace

The spotlight on the extent of the looting to which the Syrian antiquities were scattered around the world and had not been discovered yet.

UNESCO made efforts to assess the damage to the archaeological monuments in Palmyra and the rest of the historical sites in Syria, and organized a number of information meetings for member states and relevant bodies to assess the current situation and discuss future measures, and culminated in calling for an international conference to coordinate urgent protection measures for Syrian heritage.