Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA – A series of lectures and a documentary exhibition on the Syrian ruins at Khan Asaad Basha in the Old City of Damascus marked the wrap up of the cultural event celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Discovery of kingdom of Ebla.
Through an online session via Skype, members of the Italian archaeological mission highlighted the significance of Ebla in understanding the history and lifestyle of successive civilizations in the region and giving a hint about the Syrian identity.
Spotlight was put on the Royal Palace with its unique architectural style and multi-purpose rooms and apartments, not to mention the storerooms which reflect the city’s social and economic growth.
The Italian researcher Maria G. Biga highlighted the kingdom’s relations with other foreign countries relying on the royal archive of the kingdom, pointing out that all facts stress the key role of Ebla as a major trade center in the 3rd millennium BC.
Mahmoud Hamoud, Director of Damascus Countryside Antiquities shed light on the human and architectural activities at Tal Um el-Marra, northwest to Ebla, in the early and late bronze age.
Other lectures dealt with the cultural life in the kingdom and cuneiform tablets uncovered in the site
On the sideline of this event, a documentary photo exhibition was held in Khan Asaad Basha in the Old City of Damascus and a book fair for publications of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums
In a statement to SANA, Assistant Culture Minister, Maher Azar, said that the exhibition documents the destruction caused to the Syrian archeological sites over the past few years and the local community’s efforts to reduce the damage.
The event was organized by Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums at Damascus National Museum under the title “Ebla- History and Archaeology”.
R. Raslan / Ghossoun
