Mission on protection of cultural heritage in North East Syria

Since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in March 2011, Syrian artifacts have been subjected to vandalism, destruction, looting, and smuggling. In 2020, Fight for Humanity conducted a mission to Northeastern Syria to assess how to protect this cultural heritage. As part of this mission, the team visited storage places and ancient sites, and they met with civilian and military authorities to discuss emergency needs and possible short- and long-term collaborations to protect artifacts and cultural sites. Using the recommendation from the report that came from these meetings, the project then focused on the Tell Beydar archaeological site. This site, located in the Al-Hasekah Governate and dating to 2600 BCE, is at risk due in part to heavy rains and strong winds. A local team implemented emergency protection measures at the site, including cleaning and stabilizing the walls and refurbishing the visitor facilities. In addition, security was reinforced at a warehouse used by local authorities to store over 20,000 artifacts seized at the border and which originate from archaeological sites in the region. This storage space was also refurbished (cleaning, aeration, plumbing, electricity, installation of security cameras) so that artifacts can be better protected in the future. The project also raised awareness among local authorities of the need to protect cultural heritage during armed conflict.