'Less damage to historical Palmyra than feared'

Less damage has been caused to the World Heritage site of Palymra by Daesh than earlier believed, Syria’s antiquities chief said today.

Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters that video footage from Palmyra after it was recaptured by the Syrian army has shown less damage than archaeologists feared when pictures emerged at the beginning of the year suggesting Daesh had smashed more monuments.

Under heavy Russian air cover, the Syrian army and allied militias drove the jihadist group out of the UNESCO world heritage site yesterday, two months after they had seized it.

Fears of a new assault on Palmyra’s heritage were raised after pictures in January showed the group had destroyed parts of the Tetrapylon, one of the city’s most iconic monuments, and the facade of the second-century Roman Theatre.

They had already destroyed other landmarks, including a 1,800-year-old monumental arch, during their first occupation of the city which ended a year ago last March.

But Abdulkarim said preliminary photographs and video from the city showed almost no further damage than what was already known.

“Really, our hearts had been overwhelmed with fear of a complete explosion of the theatre,” Abdulkarim said.

“We thought the situation would be much worse, that there would be eradication, that they [Daesh] would complete their crimes from the first occupation,” he added.

Abdulkarim said he would visit the area soon for a better assessment, but added: “At least there is some sense of tranquillity after we received the initial photos. The general situation is reassuring.”

Not beyond repair

Some of the damage could be repaired, he said. “Except for the previous destruction, the state of the theatre looks good,” Abdulkarim said. “Even that destroyed section could be repaired. It had already been restored, and it will be again.”

“We had received terrifying information that there might have been a revenge crime against the entire citadel,” Abdulkarim said. “There is some damage, but in general, the citadel is fine too.”

Broadcasting live from inside Palmyra today, Syrian state television showed pro-government forces and army troops celebrating atop the historic citadel on the outskirts of the city.