Despite widespread damage, the ancient site of Palmyra lives on
Despite widespread destruction throughout the ancient city of Palmyra at the hands of Islamic State (ISIS) militants, all is not lost, according to a recent UN assessment of the site.
"Despite the destruction of several iconic edifices, the archaeological site of Palmyra retains a large part of its integrity and authenticity," reads a newly released rapid report from UNESCO of the 2000 year old site, after a visit from Sunday through Tuesday.
Palmyra, located in the Syrian desert northeast of Damascus, was under the control of ISIS for months after the group overran the area in May 2015. In March, Syrian forces retook the area from the extremist group.
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But even though parts of the site are still intact, Palmyra is a shadow of its former self.
Palmyra contains the ruins of a city that was a cultural crossroads of the ancient world during the 1st and 2nd century. It's architecture drew from Greco-Roman, Persian styles and local traditions to create a city unlike any other.
UNESCO representatives found significant damage to the site's museum, where most of those statues and sarcophagi that were too large to be removed for safekeeping were "defaced, smashed, their heads severed, their fragments left lying on the ground." But despite the destruction, UNESCO said it is committed to saving what remains.
“Palmyra is a pillar of Syrian identity, and a source of dignity for all Syrians. UNESCO is determined to ensure the safeguarding of this and other sites with all partners as part of broader humanitarian and peace building operations,” said Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, in a statement.
Archaeologists have now begun the heartbreaking task of matching and documenting the fragments of the destroyed statues.
The experts also surveyed the iconic grand colonnade and agora that sits at the heart of the ancient city. The triumphal arch and Temple of Baal Shamin were described as being "smashed to smithereens."
The members of the mission also observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims murdered at the amphitheatre, executions which ISIS broadcast in graphic images and videos on social media in July 2015.
Though fighting has ended in Palmyra, the ancient site and surrounding city are still not safe.
The archaeologists had to assess the Temple of Bel and the Mamluk Citadel from a distance, since it is still inaccessible as demining operations are still going on in the area. Both sustained serious damage at the hands of ISIS militants.
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Megan Specia was Mashable's Assistant Real-Time News Editor and joined the team in September 2014. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism & Mass Communications from the University of New Hampshire after growing up in the Jersey 'burbs. She made her way to New York via a four year stopover in Dublin. Megan previously worked as a journalist and editor at Storyful in both Dublin and New York. Before all of that, though, her claim to fame was as head cake arranger and purveyor of all things sweet at Queen of Tarts cafe in Dublin, where she developed a serious addiction to macarons.
