Syria says 15,000 antiquities at risk in militia-run Idlib

[abyrnes81]

'Around 15,000 antiquities locked away in safes around the northwestern Syrian city of Idlib are at risk of being sold on the black market, the head of antiquities and museums Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters on Friday.The al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and other insurgents took the provincial capital on Saturday for the first time in the four-year conflict against President Bashar al-Assad.

"What has happened in Idlib is a true disaster. The worst catastrophe that has happened until now against the culture of Syria,” Abdulkarim said.The 15,000 antiquities were crafted throughout Syria's rich history, stretching back millennia. Pottery and statues are kept around the city, including in the main museum, Abdulkarim said.

"The armed groups kicked out the employees of the museum," he said, adding that Syria's treasures could be smuggled and sold abroad in neighbouring Turkey.Syria is a cultural treasure trove and home to six UNESCO World Heritage sites. Four of these sites, including Palmyra and the Crusader castle Crac des Chevaliers, have been used for military purposes, the United Nations says.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/04/03/uk-mideast-crisis-syria-antiquities-idUKKBN0MU0Y620150403

[bryant.coleman]

If any of the antiques are damaged, then NATO should be made accountable. The groups which are currently ruling Idlib are openly supported by both the NATO and Saudi Arabia.

[panju1]

These militias always attack symbols of the past, not knowing the damage they are doing.
Just last month, the ISIS burnt thousands of rare books in Mosul.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-burns-thousands-of-rare-books-and-manuscripts-from-mosuls-libraries-10068408.html

[bryant.coleman]

These militias always attack symbols of the past, not knowing the damage they are doing.
Just last month, the ISIS burnt thousands of rare books in Mosul.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-burns-thousands-of-rare-books-and-manuscripts-from-mosuls-libraries-10068408.html

ISIS is against these things:

1. Science (they are destroying rare manuals and books)
2. Arts (they are destroying ancient statues and other artifacts)
3. Progress (don't need to explain)
4. Medicine (they think that polio vaccine is a form of family control)

The ISIS is evil. But we should remember that it was the NATO and Saudi Arabia who created this monster. NATO and KSA should be held accountable for all the crimes committed by the ISIS.

[countryfree]

Well, if they're selling those antiquities, they're becoming a bit less stupid. Not long ago, there were just destroying them.

[bryant.coleman]

Well, if they're selling those antiquities, they're becoming a bit less stupid. Not long ago, there were just destroying them.

They are probably running out of funds. Income from ransom payments have fallen, after the Kurdish peshmerga freed a lot of Yazidi and Christian slaves. Income from oil nosedived after the petroleum prices crashed. So there are few options for ISIS. 

[panju1]

Well, if they're selling those antiquities, they're becoming a bit less stupid. Not long ago, there were just destroying them.

Yup, that is a big improvement. When the Taliban were destroying Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka offered to pay them and remove the statues. The Taliban were pig-headed and went ahead and destroyed the statues anyway. At least, now the artifacts are not lost for ever.

[bryant.coleman]

Yup, that is a big improvement. When the Taliban were destroying Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka offered to pay them and remove the statues. The Taliban were pig-headed and went ahead and destroyed the statues anyway. At least, now the artifacts are not lost for ever.

Don't be that sure. A lot of artifacts will be damaged in transit and the remaining will end up with drug lords and crime barons. In short, these artifacts will never be inspected by an archaeologist or a historian ever again.