WEEKLY REPORT 47-48
July 7, 2015
U. S. Dept. Cooperation Agreement Number: NEA-PSHSS-14-001
BY Michael D. Danti, Cheikhmous Ali, Michel Maqdisi, Tate Paulette, Allison Cuneo, Kathryn Franklin, LeeAnn Barnes Gordon, Kyra Kaercher, and Erin Van Gessel
DOWNLOAD: REPORT
* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.
Executive Summary
During the reporting period in Syria, ISIL militants in the northern town of Manbij intercepted an individual(s) transporting Palmyrene funerary sculptures removed from tombs at the archaeological site and/or from the collections of the Tadmor Museum. ISIL sentenced this individual to public lashing and deliberately destroyed the sculptures. ISIL later released a video of these acts on social media sites. Media and social media sources variously identified this individual(s) as an antiquities trafficker(s), presumably unaffiliated with ISIL’s own antiquities trafficking network, or an activist(s) attempting to save the sculptures. ISIL also released a video showing the mass execution of 25 SARG military personnel in the Palmyra Roman‐era Theater (probably built in the late 2nd–early 3rd Century CE and partially a modern reconstruction). This execution occurred May 27, 2015 and the video was released on July 4. The use of a well known heritage site as the backdrop for this horrific act has numerous ramifications regarding ISIL’s use of heritage in propaganda and future perceptions of this heritage site and its intangible associations.
In western Syria, ASOR CHI sources have reported damage to archaeological sites caused by intense military clashes in the area of Zabadani. In southern Syria, the DGAM reports that the Daraa Museum suffered minor damage to the interior of the building and the exterior garden courtyard during military combat. The museum collection had been removed prior to the incident.
In Iraq, ASOR CHI received and verified reports of the intentional destruction of the Shrine and Tomb of Imam Ismail south of Kirkuk. The exact date(s) of this destruction and the number of damage incidents are not clear. A 2014 destruction by ISIL has been alleged.
Key points from this report:
- ISIL militants destroyed Palmyrene funerary sculptures in the northern town of Manbij.
- ISIL released a video of its mass execution of SARG military personnel in the Palmyra Theater.
- In western Syria, reported damage to archaeological sites caused by intense military clashes in the area of Zabadani.
- The DGAM reported the Daraa Museum suffered minor damage during military combat.
- In Iraq, reports of the intentional destruction of the Shrine and Tomb of Imam Ismail south of Kirkuk.
- Recent satellite imagery reveals damage to two mounds in northern Syria near the border with Turkey linked to military use and looting.