March 2021

Syria became one of the most important international archaeological fields in recent decades; by the early 21st century, Syria had accepted over one hundred archaeological missions in the country. Stability in Syria was one of the reasons which attracted numbers of well-known archaeological research institutes and universities. The government’s construction of the Tabqa, Teshreen, and Hassakeh dams along the Euphrates and Khabur Rivers also facilitated conditions for archaeological work in Syria. Numerous new discoveries at a large number of excavations made Syria one of the most archaeologically investigated countries in the world. Syrian authorities in 1997 declared Syria the ‘number one’ site for archaeological excavations and discoveries in the region due to both the number of archaeological missions within the country and to the relevance of their discoveries for historical knowledge (Bounni 1997:109, Gillot 2010:5).

Syrian heritage has suffered, as the Syrian people have suffered considerable damage during the conflict which began in 2011. Unfortunately, battles were severe in many of Syria’s archaeological sites, including those inscribed on the World Heritage list such as Aleppo, Palmyra and Bosra (Abdulkarim 2013). That has led to the destruction and loss of a part of Syria’s heritage, which is important not only to the history of the region, but also for the history of humanity.