Landmarks like the ancient city of Palmyra and the medieval Crac des Chevaliers castle, though bearing the scars of war, are already attracting local tourists.
Landmarks like the ancient city of Palmyra and the medieval Crac des Chevaliers castle are already attracting local tourists.
One of Syria’s six UNESCO World Heritage sites, Palmyra was once a key hub to the ancient Silk Road network linking the Roman and Parthian empires to Asia.
Matthieu Lamarre of the U.N.’s scientific, educational and cultural organization UNESCO, said the agency had since 2015, “remotely supported the protection of Syrian cultural heritage" through satellite analyses, reports and documentation and recommendations to local experts, but it did not conduct any work on site.
Perched on a hill near the town of Al-Husn, with sweeping views, Crac des Chevaliers, a medieval castle originally built by the Romans and later expanded by the Crusaders, was heavily bombarded during the Syrian civil war.
