Protecting Cultural Heritage in Wartime: The Case of Syria and Iraq

The 1954 Hague Protocol defines the destruction of cultural heritage during armed conflict as a war crime. In Syria and Iraq, ISIS systematically targeted archaeological sites, museums, and monuments, including the ancient city of Nineveh, the UNESCO site of Hatra, and the Mosul Museum. In Palmyra, they used explosives to destroy the Temple of Baal and the Arch of Triumph. Other devastated sites include the Old City of Aleppo, the Great Mosque of the Umayyads, Apamea, Mari, Dura Europos, and Ebla. Local experts like Kurdish Syrian archaeologist Ristem Abdo and his colleagues at the ATPA association work to document and protect heritage in the Jazira region and Raqqa. Since July 2014, ATPA has created a database of hundreds of sites, restored Tell Baidar in collaboration with a Belgian mission, and recovered a Byzantine mosaic from Tell Shiyukh Tahtani. Italian archaeologist Giorgio Buccellati, director of the American mission at Tell Mozan, coordinates with local workers for documentation. The work is dangerous due to mines and ongoing conflict. Archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad was killed protecting Palmyra's heritage.