Documenting archaeological images from Syria

The Institut Français du Proche Orient (IFPO) has a photographic collection of over 50,000 images, including negatives, prints, photographic plates, plans, and maps taken in Syria and Lebanon since the beginning of the 20th century. These unpublished and unique images of aerial views and ground photographs of landscapes, cities, monuments, archaeological sites, and objects are no longer accessible, due to the war and the closure of IFPO’s premises in Damascus. 15,000 photos have now been digitized and published online so it can act as a reference for Syrian heritage in cities such as Palmyra, Bosra, Qalat Seman, Damascus, and Aleppo.