Conflict in Syria has meant that the important collections at the Aleppo National Museum are at extreme risk, the aim of this project is to offer training to staff at the museum to help protect and document the collection.
Syria’s cultural heritage, which is amongst the most important in the world, has been devastated by the ongoing conflict. Aleppo has been particularly badly affected, and the Aleppo National Museum contains the finds from the multi-national expeditions conducted as part of the salvage excavations for the Tabqa Dam reservoir. In addition, the Museum stores the finds from the major coastal Bronze Age site of Ugarit.
Although the museum has been closed, and the collections (not all of which are documented) have been moved to storage, the conflict places the finds from these sites at extreme risk. Should the conflict move to engulf the location of the store, it is feared the objects will suffer the same fate as the now looted Raqqa Museum. In addition, the current location has been identified as an area at risk from shelling and flooding.
In partnership with Dr Yousef Kanjou – former Director of the Aleppo National Museum – the Aleppo province staff of the Syrian DGAM, and the NGO Heritage for Peace, the team plan to offer training to the staff of the National Museum of Aleppo via Skype in protecting their collection from identified threats, and assistance in documenting the collection, including the provision of equipment
