Embassy of the United States of America Heritage in Peril Iraq and

he damage and looting of As the international community vation training institute in Erbil, historic sites in Iraq and responds to the wanton destruc- and site management planning T Syria are rapidly destroy- tion perpetrated by extremists in and conservation work at the site ing all evidence of ancient life and Iraq and Syria, we also recognize of ancient Babylon. The U.S. Depart- society. Fragile sites and buildings that preserving these countries’ ment of State also partnered with have suffered as collateral damage cultural heritage is a critical step international organizations to de- to battles, targets for purposeful toward reconstruction, reconcilia- velop the Emergency Red List of ideological destruction, and prey tion, and building civil society. Iraqi Antiquities at Risk to enable for systematic looting. In Iraq, the United States govern- customs officials to identify and More than 90 percent of Syria’s ment has provided nearly $33 mil- detain objects from Iraq that are cultural sites are inside areas of lion since 2003 for a broad range of particularly at risk of looting, conflict and displacement. Further cultural heritage projects, includ- theft, and illicit trafficking. damage to these countries’ trea- ing infrastructure upgrades to the sures increases the loss of their Iraq National Museum, establish- Above: In , Syria, a colossal ancient common heritage and cultural leg- ment of a cultural heritage preser- Assyrian lion sculpture dating to the eighth century BC was purposely smashed by acies of universal importance. extremists using a bulldozer. Photo: John Russell N TME T OF R S PA T E A T U.S. Department of State D E

[email protected] B U H

R C

E R http://hiu.state.gov A A Heritage in Peril: Iraq and Syria U E S O E F R Syria: Cultural Heritage Sites at Risk

IN INR D TE AN HUMANITARIAN INFORMATION UNIT LLIGENCE

TURKEY The Dead Cities are roughly 700 abandoned towns, monasteries, and farmsteads from the Roman and Byzantine Periods (1st-8th Cyrrhus x 1 x 1 centuries AD) spread over x 4 x 4 limestone hills. They constitute x 5 x 37 x 1 a unique cultural landscape. x 2 x 6 x 10 x 16 x 1 x 20 x 7 x 60 x 1 x 2 x 14 35,525 Manuscripts The Dead Cities x 3 x 19 x 60 x 75 in library collections (Source: World Guide to Libraries, 2013) x 1 Buhayrat x 3 x 1 x 1 x 2 al Asad x 1 x 1 Ar Raqqah

x 2 r x 1 x 1 x 4 u x 2 b x 7 x 3 x 1 x 2 x 3 E x 1 x 1 x 1 u a x 2 Bara x 1 x 1 p h x 1 x 1 h K x 2 Resafa r Ugarit l x 1 Ma’arrat a s t a an Nu’man e x 5 e r CYPRUS t s

x 1 x 3 h n

x 8 x 1 a o

r x 1 x 6 N O Apamea 6 Syrian properties IRAQ x 2 inscribed on UNESCO’s x 8 x 5 x 1 x 2 World Heritage List Mediterranean Hamah 5 Appeals from UNESCO x 1 x 4 x 1 concerning Aleppo Sea x 1 x 2 x 4 x 1 x 2 x 3 x 5 x 1 x 5 Amrit x 1 x 2 Dura Europos x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 10 x 4 x 5 x 2 x 13 x 9 x 2 x 1 es Euphrat

Well-preserved Syrian Cultural Heritage Sites Ancient city Funerary site Archaeological site Mixed ancient & Civic site modern site Commercial site Museum Educational site Religious site i Over 77,000 cultural objects in the ^ n a Fortication Residential site it National Museum of alone L (Source: Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums) Area of con ict & ^ National capital displacement Selected populated place i n 0 30 60 km Approximate area of a b s ^ the Dead Cities Selected cultural site a Damascus 0 30 60 mi x 1 H x 38 x 5 x 1 x 1 x 26 x 56 x 1 x 2 x 42 x 49 Inside area of con ict Outside area of con ict Lit x 11 x 11 Total ani x 11 7% of Syria’s cultural sites remain outside and displacement and displacement

UNDOF areas of con ict and displacement Ancient city 83 17 100 Zone Al Qunaytirah Archaeological site 62 11 73 1949 Armistice Line Golan Civic site 132 5 137 Heights (Israeli Commercial site 107 -- 107 occupied) x 3 x 1 Educational site 64 -- 64 Shahba x 1 x 4 Fortication 93 16 109 Lake x 4 x 1 Tiberias x 2 x 1 x 8 x 2 Funerary site 84 -- 84 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 1 93% of Syria’s cultural x 1 x 1 As Suwayda' Mixed ancient & 41 2 43 Dar`a x 2 x 3 x 2 sites are inside areas of modern site n x 1 x 1 x 2 x 15 con ict and displacement a x 1 x 2 x 1 Museum 26 2 28 d 1949 Armistice r x 1 x 2 Religious site 256 12 268 * Israeli-occupied with Line o current status subject to J Israeli-Palestinian Interim Residential site 45 5 50 Agreement; permanent Total well-preserved sites 993 70 1,063 status to be determined West 1994 Treaty through further negotiations. Bank* Line

Names and boundary representation are not necessarily authoritative U899 9-13 STATE (INR) The map above shows cultural heritage sites that are at risk in Syria.

In Syria, the U.S. Department sites in Syria and assess their threats to sites in Iraq as well. of State sponsored publication of future restoration, preservation, and Findings are posted weekly at: the Emergency Red List of Syrian protection needs. This project is http://www.asor-syrianheritage.org/. Cultural Objects at Risk to alert now being expanded to document The U.S. State Department is international customs authorities urging all parties in Iraq, Syria, to the illicit trafficking of Syrian and the international community artifacts. It also produced a map to respect and protect archaeolog- featuring 1,000 important museums, ical, historic, religious, and cultural historic buildings, and archaeolog- sites, including museums and ical sites to raise awareness of archives. All those who destroy threats to Syrian cultural heritage. important cultural property must The Department recently partnered be held accountable. with the American Schools of Orient Research to comprehen- sively document the condition of, Left: Mashhad Imam Yahya Ibn al-Qasim, and threats to, cultural heritage located in Mosul, Iraq, was built in 1239 by Badr al-Din Lu’lu’, the ruler of Mosul who supported the Shi’i belief. Photo: © Yasser Tabaa

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE September 2014 BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAMS