Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Provinces, SANA – It isn’t the first time that Palmyra with its civilization and history triumphs over darkness; throughout history, the ancient city of Palmyra withstood tyrants and invaders and rose time and again as a beacon of culture and a living testament to human history. Now, Palmyra triumphs over Takfiri forces that swooped in to blot out civilization.
Palmyra city, which was liberated by the Syrian Arab Army from the taint of terrorism, rises again from the ashes in spite of all the destruction, vandalism, and looting committed by ISIS in it. This time, its triumphant return is made possible by Syrian skills and by support from St. Petersburg in Russia which took it upon itself along with the UNESCO to work towards restoring Palmyra to its former glory.
On Thursday, Russian and Syrian Culture Ministers Vladimir Medinsky and Issam Khalil, accompanied by Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi and UNESCO representatives, toured the city of Palmyra to inspect the damage caused by ISIS to the city’s ancient monuments in order to plan for the restoration of the sites.
On a relevant note, around 150 journalists from the United States, Britain, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, China, Russia, and other countries are documenting the liberation of Palmyra and witnessing the scale of the crimes of ISIS and its blind hatred.
A Russian officer who was also touring the city told SANA that all the goals set by the Syrian and Russian leaderships regarding Palmyra gave been achieved, and that the demining process is underway to clear the city and its surroundings of landmines.
The Syrian Arab Army and supporting forces restored security and stability to the entirety of the city of Palmyra on March 27th 2016. Since its hordes spilled into Palmyra in May 2015, ISIS committed heinous massacres, claiming more than 500 lives, including the murder of dozens at the Roman amphitheatre in July 2015.
The terrorist organization also carried out a systematic campaign of vandalism against Palmyra’s monuments, destroying tens of landmarks like the Arch of Triumph, the tower tombs, the Temple of Bel, and the Temple of Baalshamin, in addition to vandalizing the National Museum in the city and murdering renowned Syrian archeologist Khaled al-Asaad.
Hazem Sabbagh
