Damascus, SANA – Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) Director-General Maamoun Abdulkarim asserted that the Tomb of the Three Brothers in Palmyra is in good condition and that it didn’t sustain any damage from the attacks by ISIS terrorists.
In a statement to SANA on Saturday, Abdulkarim said that he and 30 architects and archeologists toured archeological sites in Palmyra including the tomb, and saw that the murals and statues inside it are intact.
The tomb, which is also known as the Hypogeum of the Three Brothers, dates back to the Roman era and is located in the southwestern tombs area near the Palmyra-Homs-Damascus highway. It was built by three brothers named Male, Saadi and Naamain in 160 AD to serve as a tomb for themselves, their sons, and their grandsons. It is considered one of the most important and beautiful tombs in Palmyra, and its entrance, stairs, and floor were restored in 2000.
Abdulkarim also said that the DGAM acquired new photos of the archeological city in Palmyra taken by a drone, which show all the structures destroyed by ISIS, particularly the Temple of Bel, the Temple of Baalshamin, the Arch of Triumph, and the tower tombs, and these photos revealed that there are enough remaining architectural elements to restore them without need for reconstruction, adding that the DGAM will do its best to return these monuments to their former glory.
He also noted that ISIS terrorists destroyed the heads of dozens of statues in Palmyra, but they can still be repaired with the help of international partners such as the Polish expedition which offered its services in this regard.
Hazem Sabbagh