Palmyra, Syria's beautiful oasis city, lies in ruins

Palmyra, one of Syria's six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, was located on the ancient Silk Road and was known for its 2,000-year-old ruins dating back to the Roman Empire. But after 13 years of civil war, destroyed temples and columns now characterize the ancient oasis city.

The oldest finds date back to the late Stone Age, and the oasis city flourished during the Roman Empire. Palmyra, located near the present-day city of Tadmur, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Before the start of the civil war in 2011, around 150,000 tourists flocked to the ruined city every month to see the sights.

The brutal civil war raged in Syria for 13 years, and at times the site fell into the hands of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS). The group's fighters systematically destroyed the temples of Bel and Baalshamin and the Arch of Triumph, viewing them as monuments to idolatry. They also brutally murdered an elderly antiquities scholar who had dedicated his life to overseeing the ruins.

Children now play on the ruins of the ancient portico that stretched almost 1.2 kilometers (0.8 miles) from the Temple of Bel to the Temple of the Dead. Ayman Nabu, an expert on Syria's historical ruins, visited Palmyra just a few days after the fall of Assad in December and documented extensive destruction. "Syria has a treasure of ruins," he said, emphasizing the need for preservation efforts.

Experts hope the reconstruction of Palmyra will lead to a significant increase in the number of tourists, and provide a much-needed boost to Syria's economy. Before the start of the civil war, the ancient ruined city attracted visitors from all over the world. "Palmyra revitalized the steppe and used to be a global tourist magnet," said Nabu.

This 2010 photo shows a well-preserved archway in the portico of Palmyra, before it was devastated by the so-called "Islamic State" group. The extent of the destruction and loss of irretrievable cultural assets has not yet been fully assessed by experts.

The damage to the ancient site is immense, with illegal excavations carried out along the colonnade and in the Roman theater. Sculptures were removed and tombs were looted, while IS fighters covered wall paintings and reliefs with plaster and Islamic verses. "The [Palmyra] museum was in a deplorable state, with missing documents and artifacts," said Nabu. "We have no idea what happened to them."

On a hill near the ancient ruined city lies Fakhr al-Din al-Ma'ani Castle, a fortress built between the 13th and 16th centuries. During the civil war, Palmyra first fell into the hands of IS and then the Syrian army. After its recapture by Assad's troops, supported by the Russian military, the fortress was turned into a Russian military base.

UNESCO has been supporting the protection of Syria's cultural heritage through satellite analyses and documentation since 2015. However, due to the tense security situation, UNESCO experts have so far been unable to visit the site. International experts from the cultural organization declared in 2019 that reconstruction would only be possible after a detailed assessment of the damage.