The dangerous work of archaeologists in conflict zones
Manasi Gopalakrishnan
February 11, 2021
Would you die to save a historical monument? Syrian archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad did. His death highlights the dangers heritage workers can face in conflict areas.
Khaled al-Asaad dedicated his life to Palmyra's historyImage: picture alliance/AP Photo
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Syrian state media reported recently that authorities may have found the remains of Khaled al-Asaad, an archaeologist who was beheaded by "Islamic State"(IS) militants in 2015, when he was 82. Asaad had served as the head of the antiquities department of the ancient city of Palmyra, staying there and undertaking research work for over 40 years. "I am from Palmyra and I will stay here even if they kill me," Asaad is reported to have said after IS occupied Palmyra.
Known as "an oasis in the Syrian desert," the city was first mentioned in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC in the archives of Mari, an ancient Semitic settlement in Eastern Syria. In September 2015, IS militants destroyed large parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Site for being "anti-Islamic." Khaled al-Asaad was killed because he refused to divulge the location of antique objects that he had helped excavate.
Cultural artifacts and historical symbols contribute to a group or a country's collective identity, making the practice of archaeology a sensitive issue — and at times a dangerous one for heritage workers, as al-Asaad's murder in Syria shows.
What's left of the ancient city of Palmyra?
Syria's state news agency has reported that "Islamic State" militants have demolished a famous monument and damaged a theater in the ancient city of Palmyra. This is not the first time IS has destroyed ancient relics.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
IS strikes again
What is now left of the ancient ruins at Palmyra - known as the "Pearl of the Desert" - is uncertain after a new strike by IS militants on Thursday. This photo shows the face of statue at a destroyed museum in March 2016. Syrian government forces had recaptured Palmyra that month from jihadists, who view the UNESCO-listed site's ancient ruins as idolatrous.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
Once grandiose, now rubble
This image of Palmyra's Tetrapylon was taken in 2014. If SANA agency reports are correct, this monument is no longer standing. Current images after Thursday's reported strike are still unavailable.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
Amphitheater also suffers a blow
This image shows the Roman amphitheater, which was originally built around 200 A.D., in April 2016. Reports now say the facade has been destroyed by IS extremists. In 2015, jihadists used the site - which once premiered plays - for mass executions. After the city was retaken from IS last year, the Russian government staged a classical music concert here to celebrate the success.
Image: Reuters/O. Sanadiki
Never-ending destruction
Palmyra's National Museum, shown here, also suffered heavy losses under IS rule. Its treasures were looted, some were damaged and others burned.
Image: picture-alliance/Sputnik/M. Voskresenskiy
Before and after
This picture, taken last March, shows the ruins of Palmyra's Temple of Baalshamin - just two columns left standing after IS destruction the year before. The smaller image, held by the photographer, shows the image he took in 2014 - with clearly more in the background behind the columns.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
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Similar to Palmyra, symbolic historical monuments often become a target for groups asserting their dominance or challenging the status quo. For example, in 2001, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan blew up two monumental statues of the Buddha in Bamiyan, saying they were idolatrous.
In 1992, right-wing Hindu extremists in India demolished the Babri Masjid, a 16th-century mosque in Ayodhya that in turn had been built upon an ancient Hindu temple.
Governments guard access to cultural sites
Even during times of peace, governments keep a tight leash on who can access archaeological sites and which sites get priority in research. "Government agencies in the countries in which archaeologists work must grant permission to conduct fieldwork (or withhold it)," Susan Pollock, a professor of archaeology at the Free University (Freie Universität) in Berlin, told DW.
According to Pollock, the archaeological service of a country, which is a government agency, "may decide that certain proposed projects do not match their priorities and therefore request a modification — or they may refuse to grant a license."
This was the case in Syria even before the uprising against President Bashar Assad began in March 2011, leading to widespread and violent conflict.
"I would say the main challenge before the war was the accessibility to sites and archaeological materials. The government had a tight grip on excavation permits," Lubna Omar explained. The Syrian archaeologist had tried to work in national projects, but was constantly denied permission.
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'Islamic State' destroys more of ancient Palmyra
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Working in conflict
After war broke out between President Assad's forces and armed groups, researching ancient ruins became practically impossible and dangerous, Omar told DW.
Pollock, who worked as an archaeologist in Iraq when the country was at war with Iran in the 1980s, says archaeologists working in conflict zones often face logistical issues related to safety — both theirs and that of their team. "As outsiders, we rarely have sufficient insights into the inner workings of conflicts as well as to up-to-the-minute information," she added.
Asaad, who was inseparable from his work, continued to work in Palmyra even after the IS besieged the city. "Khaled Asaad's identity is Palmyra," according to Omar, who now lives in the US.
Asaad's commitment to Palmyra was unquestionable. However, Pollock believes his death raises an ethical question: "Is it appropriate to pursue archaeological research in the context of ongoing violent conflict? If so, where are the limits?"
Ancient treasures found in 2020
The COVID pandemic has not stopped archaeologists, who In 2020 found spectacular objects like sarcophagi, marble statues and gold coins.
Image: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Saqqara
Saqqara, the necropolis of the city of Memphis, about 30 kilometers south of Cairo, is considered one of most important archaeological sites in Egypt together with the Valley of the Kings and the pyramids of Giza. The settlement struck the headlines this year with yet another spectacular discovery: In September and October, researchers found beautifully decorated wooden coffins.
Image: Samer Abdallah/dpa/picture alliance
Twelve more wooden coffins
In November, experts uncovered a dozen more sarcophagi in Saqqara. The beautifully decorated wooden coffins are considered to be over 2,500 years old, Egyptian researchers said. Individual coffins were opened carefully to anaylze their contents.
Image: Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images
Striking rock in Egypt
Egyptologists from the University of Bonn discovered an inscription on this rock, believed to be over 5,000 years old. It was discovered in Wadi Abu Subeira, northeast of Aswan. Experts, including those from the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, found that the rock was actually a town sign from the fourth century BC.
Image: Ludwig Morenz
The ruins of Pompeii
The archaeological site of the Roman city of Pompeii, southwards of Naples, surprises the world with new discoveries every now and then. In 79 AD, during the historical volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius, mud, ash rain and molten lava buried the place, killing people and animals. Only in the 18th century were archaeologists able to uncover the relics.
Image: picture-alliance/Jens Köhler
Fast food, Pompeii style
Shortly before Christmas, archaeologists in Pompeii presented the most spectacular discovery of the year: a "thermopolia," an antique food stall with a painted counter. Its gaps had small containers, believed to keep food warm,. Dishes made of duck, chicken and other animals were sold here to residents.
Image: Luigi Spina/picture alliance
The city wall of Jerusalem
There were completely new discoveries in 2020 as well. After a long period of excavation where Jerusalem is located today, a team of experts under German archaeologist Dieter Vieweger uncovered parts of an ancient city wall, which is believed to be from the time of King Herod and the Byzantine period. The discovery confirmed that ancient Jerusalem was much smaller than believed until now.
Image: DW/T. Krämer
A village from the 2nd century
Jerusalem is racked by religious and political conflict. The various archaeological layers have stored thousand years of the city's multicultural history. In early 2020 the remains of a village wall were discovered in Jerusalem. Traces of everyday life reveal interesting information about the settlements at the time.
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/A. Widak
Old city, new discoveries
In November, construction workers at a sewer in Athens stumbled upon the massive head of an ancient sculpture. On close examination, it turned out to be the marble head of the Greek god, Hermes, according to the Greek Ministry of Culture. Experts believe the head could be from the 3rd or the 4th century. Every now and then, an ancient artefact is discovered in Athens' old city.
To this day, we don't know whether Stonehenge was a temple, an ancient sacrificial site or an observatory. But in 2020, researchers found where the monoliths came from. According to a recent study, the sarsen stones, as the massive sandstone blocks are known, originated from a nearby forest called West Woods in southern England.
Image: picture-alliance/Bildagentur-online/Tetra
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No history, no future
In Syria, archaeology faces an uncertain future. Heritage workers have stopped working and many, like Omar, have had to flee the country. The ones who still live in Syria must cope with war on a daily basis, as well as dwindling prospects of earning a livelihood.
Omar told DW via email that she had to complete her PhD in Japan after no scope remained to do so in her homeland. She finally got permission to look into Syrian artifacts, but only those that had been brought to the German city of Tübingen decades ago. Like many of her compatriots, the war in Syria left her with little choice.
Omar's predicament is understandable: Practicing archaeology means staying on location — like Asaad did until he died. In Omar's case, for better or for worse, that has not been possible at all.
"As for after the war, I am not able to use my skills nor my knowledge. I left Syria in 2012, and I haven't been back since then!" she said.
"Since I moved to the US in 2016, I am unable to travel, first, because of Donald Trump's travel ban and now, because I don't have a valid passport. I have no chance to renew it while I am in the US. In short, I am trapped, and my research is sadly dead."
