Online exhibition explores Palmyra in English and Arabic
Temple of Baalshamin, Louis Vignes, 1864. Albumen print, 8.8 x 11.4 in. (22.5 x 29 cm). The Getty Research Institute, 2015.R.15.
LOS ANGELES, CA
.- For centuries the ruins of the ancient city of Palmyra have captured the imagination testaments to the legacy of the prosperous multicultural center of trade that once dominated the region. Online beginning February 3, Return to Palmyra, presented in English and Arabic, invites audiences to explore the rich history of the city, including an exhibition of rare 18th-century etchings and 19th-century photographs of the site, new scholarship, and a moving interview with Waleed Khaled al-Asad about the modern-day experience of living and working among the ruins of this storied locale.
“For my father, Palmyra was the center of the world and the gateway to the Syrian civilization,” says Waleed Khaled al-As’ad, the archaeologist’s son and director emeritus of antiquities and museums at Palmyra. “He had a firm belief in the importance of preserving its legacy. He did his best for its sake, and was active for more than 50 years in excavating and restoring its monuments, as he always believed that a human being without a past is a human being with no present and no future.”
The destruction of Palmyra, which lies approximately 218 kilometers northeast of Damascus, was considerable. As well as the Temple of Bel and the Tetrapylon, the Temple of Baal Shamin, the Arch of Triumph, columns in the Valley of Tombs, and several distinctive tower tombs were also either partially or completely destroyed, although a large part of the ancient site retains its integrity and authenticity, according to UNESCO.
DUBAI: On August 18 2015, Khaled Al-As’ad, the former director of antiquities and museums in Palmyra, Syria, was murdered by Daesh for trying to protect the ancient city’s cultural heritage. Eighty-three years old, he had dedicated his life to the preservation of one of the world’s most important archaeological sites.
Publicly beheaded for refusing to reveal the location of artifacts he had helped to hide, Khaled al-As’ad’s execution shocked and horrified the world. Following his death, Daesh set about destroying many of Palmyra’s monumental ruins, including the Temple of Bel and the Tetrapylon. In doing so, irreparable damage was caused to a masterpiece of human ingenuity and one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world.