Syria's National Museum in Damascus reopens after Assad's fall
On January 8, 2025, the National Museum of Damascus resumed operations following its closure prompted by rebel forces entering the city and the ousting of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024. Established in 1920, the museum had previously been closed in 2011 amid Syria's civil war, reopening in 2018 after restoration efforts by the UN Development Programme. During the recent closure, the Islamist transitional government led by al-Jolani safeguarded the museum, which contains tens of thousands of artifacts. A minor fire occurred but did not result in significant damage. The ongoing conflict has claimed 528,500 lives and harmed numerous archaeological sites, including six recognized by UNESCO. The Heritage International Institute is creating a task force to safeguard Syrian heritage.
Key facts
- National Museum of Damascus reopened on January 8, 2025
- Museum closed on December 8, 2024 when rebels entered Damascus and Assad was deposed
- New transitional government led by al-Jolani provided protection for the museum
- Museum first closed in 2011 at start of civil war, reopened in 2018 after UN-supported restoration
- Collections include tens of thousands of artifacts from prehistoric to Islamic periods
- War has killed 528,500 people since 2011 according to Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
- Syria has 700 archaeological sites including six UNESCO World Heritage sites
- Heritage International Institute launched a task force for Syrian cultural heritage
- World Heritage Watch called for protection of all religious and ethnic groups' heritage
- Syrian Heritage Archive Project has digitized hundreds of thousands of heritage documents
Entities
Institutions
- National Museum of Damascus
- United Nations Development Programme
- Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
- UNESCO
- Heritage International Institute
- World Heritage Watch
- Syrian Heritage Archive Project
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Italy)
- Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (Italy)
- ISIS
Locations
- Damascus
- Syria
- Aleppo
- Palmyra
- Tartus
- Germany
- Egypt
- Iraq
- Libya
- Oman
- South Africa
- Nepal