ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A senior antiquities official in Syria's Afrin warned on Wednesday that nearly all historical sites in the Kurdish-majority northwestern city have been destroyed or looted, calling for urgent international assistance.
"There are 36 archaeological hills in the Afrin region registered with the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums and all 36 hills have faced destruction," Battal Khalil, director of Afrin's Antiquities office, told Rudaw's Noushin Hami.
“I have visited all the hills myself recently and saw with my own eyes that, unfortunately, they have all been ruined,” he said.
Afrin has been the site of massive cultural heritage loss in recent years, particularly following military operations and the subsequent control of the region by the Turkish army and allied armed groups since late 2018.
Moreover, the use of bulldozers and heavy machinery for illegal excavations has devastated dozens of archaeological mounds in the Kurdish-majority city, exacerbating the illicit trafficking of cultural property that has challenged heritage management across Syria in recent years.
According to Khalil, sites which have seen massive destruction include “Nabi Huri Castle, which has been demolished by up to 70 percent,” as well as “mountainous areas including Barad, Burj Qas, Kalota, Kimar, Mount Lilon, and the Citadel of Simeon - all located within the borders of the Dead Cities - which have also been subjected to illegal excavations,” he said.
Amid the crisis, local authorities are attempting to document and restore the surviving heritage, the director of Afrin's Antiquities office said, announcing "an upcoming project to electronically record and photograph the archaeological repository of Ain Dara using 3D technology.”
However, restoration efforts face significant hurdles, Khalil emphasized, noting that “the massive scale of damage requires deep expertise, specialized teams, and a long period of time."
Syrian antiquities officials have held multiple meetings in recent months with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other international organizations to secure the necessary financial and technical support, including for Afrin.
Ayman Mustafa Nabou, Syria's director of excavations and deputy director-general of antiquities and museums, had confirmed to Rudaw on Thursday that protecting the northwestern city’s historical sites is a national priority.
Despite the widespread destruction to its cultural heritage, there have been minor milestones for Syria. In early June, French President Emmanuel Macron returned 23 artifacts to the National Museum of Damascus that had been safeguarded in France since 2011, a move Nabou praised as proof of restored trust and cultural cooperation.
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