New project for electronic documentation of Syrian archeological sites launched

14/08/2014

Damascus, SANA –  With the aim of making them available to everyone around the world, the Syrian archaeological sites are being electronically documented and uploaded successively on the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums website.

The succession of cultures that came and went in Syria across millennia has left a wealth of archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, monuments, and works of art that represent the evolution of human ingenuity, and with this documentation project,  the Syrian legacy will be easy to reach, allowing more people access to this vital part of the world heritage that reveals a lot about ancient human civilizations.

The Directorate has documented sixteen sites so far, with  a hundred more sites scheduled to be uploaded by the end of the current year, Mahmoud Hamoud, Director of Damascus Countryside Antiquities told SANA.

He said the plan is to have all the Syrian archaeological sites added to the Directorate’s website in a short period of time.

The e-documentation will include information on the scientific content, manuscripts, images, the history of the sites, excavations, historical documentation, renovation projects of buildings, and the date of registering archaeological sites in the national list of World Heritage.

Six of Syria’s heritage areas, comprising 46 sites and hundreds of historic structures, are on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. They are the Old City of Damascus, the ancient city of Bosra, the Old City of Aleppo, the site of Palmyra, Crac des Chevaliers keep, Citadel of Salah Ed-Din, and theancient villages of Northern Syria.

R. Milhem / Ghossoun / H. Sabbagh