Protecting archaeological heritage during conflicts. Syria's archaeological heritage during the conflict and the local efforts to protect it
- Autores: Isber Sabrine
- Directores de la Tesis: Juan José Ibáñez Estévez (dir. tes.), Grabriel Alcalde (codir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat de Girona ( España ) en 2020
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Frank BRAEMER (presid.), Manuel Molina Martos (secret.), Michel Al-Maqdissi (voc.)
- Programa de doctorado: Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Humanas, del Patrimonio y de la Cultura por la Universidad de Girona
- Materias:
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- Resumen
Much of Syria’s cultural heritage has fallen victim to the conflict. Many historical landmarks have been damaged or destroyed and hundreds of archaeological sites and museums have been systematically plundered and looted. The destruction of Syrian heritage is huge.
During the nine years of Syrian conflict, many studies addressed the work of international heritage institutions and their role in the protection of cultural heritage during the conflict, but insufficient attention has been paid to the role of civil society in Syria to protect their cultural heritage. There has been little recorded work of their efforts and the incredible actions taken by the local Syrians in the protection of cultural heritage.
This study aims to create a better understanding of the situation of the Syria’s cultural heritage and the efforts to protect it during the conflict. It includes the analysis of cultural heritage management before and during the conflict, actions taken to protect it by the official heritage authorities and the role of Syrian civil society in the protection of cultural heritage. The research poses some key questions such as how was Syria's archaeological heritage managed before the conflict and how did the management change during the conflict? How did the Syrian conflict affect Syria’s cultural heritage, particularly its archaeological heritage? What is the role of Syrian heritage authorities inside Syria and Syrian civil society organizations inside and outside Syria in the protection of Syria’s cultural heritage? The answers of these questions were explored in the publications that make up this thesis.
The research methodology adopted for this thesis was a research action methodology. Through this, many multiple investigations were conducted. During the course of the research, many interviews were conducted with the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) staff, Syrian Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and local professionals who work on the protection of Syrian cultural heritage during the conflict. The main data collection techniques used in this research study was semi-structured interviews via Skype, WhatsApp and Facebook, as well as participant observation, questionnaires and document analysis.
For this thesis, I was able to analyse Syria’s cultural heritage during the present conflict. It has demonstrated how Syrian archaeological heritage was managed prior to and during the conflict.
The research has identified the weakness of heritage management of Syria’s archaeological sites before the conflict, demonstrating this played a role in the destruction of the heritage during the conflict. This study also brought forth a better understanding of the organisation of illegal excavation and illicit trafficking in artefacts from Syria during the conflict. In addition, the study highlights the crucial rule of new CSOs' initiatives on the protection of Syria’s cultural heritage. In addition, it highlights the various risks civil society face inside Syria to protect their cultural heritage. In the end, the research discusses two external initiatives, namely Heritage for Peace (HfP) and the Multaka project. In both cases, the study demonstrates the important role of foreign civil societies in safeguarding Syrian heritage.
Finally, this study demonstrates that a few practical changes are necessary to allow for greater protection to Syrian cultural heritage, particularly when it comes to the management of Syria’s archaeological heritage. It is crucial that new strategies are developed for management and protection of Syria’s cultural heritage in the post-conflict phase. The findings of this study have several important implications relating to the role of CSOs prior to and during conflicts. This study also suggests that cultural heritage can be used as a tool to connect refugees, who have suffered severely during the conflict, with their cultural heritage. Itcan be an important tool for inspiring self-esteem, as well as a tool in the reconciliation process once the conflict is over.
