Restoring Palmyra’s Spirit - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. Before Syria’s civil war, Palmyra was one of the country’s top destinations, drawing around 150,000 visitors a month. Now many of its famous monuments lie ruined - including the 2,000-year-old temple of Bel, destroyed by ISIS ten years ago.
How badly was it damaged? How should rebuilding be approached? And how do we, as a Muslim nation, remember the recent horrors - like the killing of the elderly guardian of the site - when we present Palmyra to future visitors?
Since the change of control last year, Syrian authorities, archaeologists, international groups and donors have been wrestling with these questions. They say the recovery will be long, costly and delicate, and that the local community must take part - including those who were sadly involved in looting during the chaos.
“Palmyra needs to breathe again, and we hope its soul will return. We must stand by her so she remains standing,” said Anas Haj Zeidan, director of Syria’s Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums, speaking on the sidelines of a recent conference in Switzerland.
Palmyra has drawn travellers for centuries. Agatha Christie once wrote of its “slender creamy beauty rising up fantastically in the middle of hot sand.” But today hotels and restaurants are closed, many locals have left, and basic services - water, electricity, internet - are missing. About 80% of homes were damaged in the war, and mines have killed civilians.
Some locals are slowly reopening parts of abandoned hotels to host visitors, but such efforts are rare. Rebuilding the site will cost a huge amount and could take six to seven years, Mr Haj Zeidan says. He describes the effort as about Syria’s memory, identity and sense of belonging.
Around 80,000 people have visited Palmyra since late 2024, which officials say is notable given the circumstances. The hope is to bring many more visitors in time, and to make sure Syria is safe and welcoming for those who come - including travellers arriving by land from neighbouring countries.
Experts are still deciding how much reconstruction should aim for full restoration versus leaving some traces as reminders of what happened. There are precedents: other sites damaged by ISIS have chosen to keep some scars as part of the collective memory.
Emergency work is needed after careful damage assessments. Some gates and columns remain standing despite explosives; documenting what occurred is important to remember the tragedies of Palmyra and Syria at large. Overall, about half or more of the heritage area suffered damage during the conflict, with many funerary structures looted or destroyed.
Speakers at the conference argued that better engagement with local people could reduce looting in future. Some archaeologists now regret not doing more community outreach during earlier excavations, saying that building local understanding of cultural heritage is key to protecting it in times of crisis.
Locals from Palmyra stress that most people see the ruins as part of their heritage and identity, and that many risked themselves to guard the museum when the city was retaken. Rebuilding Palmyra, they say, should also heal the community - restoring both the physical monuments and the spirit of the people.
May Allah grant success to those working to protect and restore this blessed heritage, and may it become a place of remembrance and healing for all Syrians.
https://www.thenationalnews.co