300 archaeological monuments destroyed in Syria so far: expert

PanARMENIAN.Net - About 300 archaeological monuments have been destroyed in Syria since the start of the civil war, the director-general of the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums of the country told the French Le Figaro, according to RIA Novosti.

“300 out of over 10.000 archeological monuments have been demolished in four types of destruction,” Maamoun Abdulkarim said.

According to him, clashes between militants and government forces, as well as illegal excavations destroyed the cultural objects. Another reason behind the destruction is the ideological struggle, Abdulkarim said, citing the Islamic State group’s actions in Palmyra. The archeological monuments are further distorted as a result of illegal construction around them by homeless people.

Also, the expert reminded of the Directorate's efforts to preserve the cultural heritage.

“Once violence broke up in late 2012, we closed all the museums in Syria and transferred all the archeological objects to safe and protected areas in Damascus and other cities. We did our best to avoid the scenario of Baghdad Museum looting in 2003,” Abdulkarim said.