UNESCO, Italy form task force to protect cultural treasures
February 17, 2016
Italy has teamed up with UNESCO in an effort to protect art, archaeological sites and artifacts endangered by extremists like the "Islamic State," but also natural disasters.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
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Dubbed Peacekeepers of Culture, the new task force is out to prevent cultural disasters like the destruction of Syria's Palmyra in 2015.
Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and UNESCO's Director General Irina Bokova signed an accord on Tuesday (16.02.2016) in Rome which not only established the Peacekeepers of Culture, but also created a center in Turin to train culture heritage protection experts.
The aim behind the project is to dispatch the peacekeepers to assess the damage to highly valuable monuments and other cultural treasures in the wake of not only armed conflicts and extremist attacks, but also earthquakes, floods or other natural disasters.
Thirty police art detectives and 30 archaeologists, restorers and art historians "are already operational and ready to go where UNESCO sends them," said Italy's Culture Minister Dario Franceschini. The country's Carabinieri paramilitary force draws on its many years of experience in combating art trafficking.
Officials have said that no country has been chosen yet for the first mission, but UNESCO's Bokova underlined the urgency of their task.
"We are witnessing a tragedy of destruction of heritage, systematic and deliberate attacks on culture," said Bokova at the signing ceremony. The hope was that other countries would follow Rome's example and join the heritage fight, she added.
The "Islamic State" has carried out systematic destruction of prized historical sites in Syria and Iraq, including Palmyra, Hatra, Nimrud and Khorsabad, the ancient Assyrian capital.
Islamic extremists have also been held responsible for attacks on 10 monuments in Timbuktu, Mali, which is a UNESCO World Heritage city.
rey,ad/kbm (AP, AFP)
Palmyra: Destruction of an oasis of cultural history
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most beautiful ruined cities in the Middle East. Now the "Islamic State" has seized the area and started destroying these ancient structures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
Ancient temple destroyed
This part of the World Heritage site in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria no longer exists: "Islamic State" militants have blown up the 2,000-year-old temple of Baal Shamin. The inner area of the temple and the columns collapsed through the explosion. The rest of the ancient city remains strongly at risk.
Image: by-sa-Longbow4u
Ruins in a desert oasis
The ruins of Palmyra lie right in the middle of the Syrian desert. The once prosperous metropolis was surrounded by palms - hence its name - and for centuries was a stop for caravans traveling to the Silk Road. The settlement was a center of wealth and trade. But, gradually, the golden age faded, and sand blew over the city. The ruins were later excavated, and given World Heritage status in 1980.
Image: Fotolia/bbbar
Temple of Baal
In the 1st century AD, the Palmyrenes built a grand Roman-style temple for the deity Baal. It formed the center of religious life in Palmyra, which joined the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius some time after 14 AD. It is scarred with bullet holes - stark reminders of the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/F. Neukirchen
Avenue of treasures
Created in the 2nd century, the Great Colonnade stretches on for more than a kilometer (0.6 miles). Spices, perfumes, precious stones and other treasures once passed down this magnificent colonnaded boulevard. The avenue's entrance is marked by Hadrian's Arch, built in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It's a fine example of the Greco-Roman style, extremely popular at the time.
Image: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
Roman monument
The Tetrapylon of Palmyra was built on a crossroads. The four groups of slender pillars, each supporting an alcove, were made of red granite brought in from the quarries of Aswan. Each one used to house statues. Today, almost all the columns are replicas. Only one is an original.
Image: Fotolia/waj
Oriental drama
Palmyra bore many characteristics of a Greco-Roman city. It had a portico, thermal baths and an amphitheater. Many oriental dramas were performed on this stage. Unfortunately, the plays, written in Aramaic, haven't survived. In addition to being a theater, the arena was also used for battles between gladiators and animals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Marczok
Forum of high society
Some 200 statues of important individuals once stood here, taking up honored positions in the porticoes of the agora, or main square. In the agora's southwestern corner the remains of a building where the city council likely held its meetings can be seen. The council was made up of representatives from influential merchant families, responsible for shaping the fortunes of the desert city.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery/C. Rennie
Ornate burial
There are a number of burial grounds just outside the city gates. Large families built tall towers housing ornate sarcophagi and tombs big enough for several generations. There are also many underground gravesites decorated with rich architectural flourishes and frescoes that hint at the daily life and wealth of that period.
Image: Imago/A. Schmidhuber
Impending destruction?
In 300 AD, Palmyra became a military base, and came under the power of a string of different rulers. The golden age faded, and the city's splendor was covered up by the desert sand. The city's ruins survived the civil war raging in the country since 2011, but now, the ancient city is under threat from "Islamic State" militants, and UNESCO fears it could face a tragic fate.
