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| When Cultural Heritage Is Caught in the Crosshairs | When Cultural Heritage Is Caught in the Crosshairs |
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| Russia has quietly expanded its military footprint in Palmyra, a sprawl of ancient ruins in the Syrian desert, after helping Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad to drive the Islamic State out of the city in March, ending a 10-month occupation that included the destruction of several archaeological treasures, including ancient temples and an arch dating to Roman times. | Russia has quietly expanded its military footprint in Palmyra, a sprawl of ancient ruins in the Syrian desert, after helping Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad to drive the Islamic State out of the city in March, ending a 10-month occupation that included the destruction of several archaeological treasures, including ancient temples and an arch dating to Roman times. |
| At a concert last week, Russian musicians played Bach and Prokofiev, and also showed journalists a small but well-fortified base constructed at the site. | |
| But this week, the Cultural Heritage Initiative of the American Schools of Oriental Research warned that the Russian encampment, which is “in close proximity” to the archaeological site, could imperil the remaining treasures. (The Associated Press quoted Russian officials as saying that the base was only temporary, to house experts removing explosives.) | But this week, the Cultural Heritage Initiative of the American Schools of Oriental Research warned that the Russian encampment, which is “in close proximity” to the archaeological site, could imperil the remaining treasures. (The Associated Press quoted Russian officials as saying that the base was only temporary, to house experts removing explosives.) |
| A fresh ribbon of asphalt covers the area, though experts say the debris field of old stones around the ruined city is largely unexcavated. Sand berms were bulldozed to form a perimeter, and a panoply of defenses, including antiaircraft missiles, is at the ready. If the Russian site is a potential target that requires antiaircraft defenses, what does that make the ruins? | A fresh ribbon of asphalt covers the area, though experts say the debris field of old stones around the ruined city is largely unexcavated. Sand berms were bulldozed to form a perimeter, and a panoply of defenses, including antiaircraft missiles, is at the ready. If the Russian site is a potential target that requires antiaircraft defenses, what does that make the ruins? |
| Historic sites in Syria continue to be damaged, including a monastery northwest of Aleppo where a fifth-century monk, St. Simeon Stylites, is said to have spent decades in hermetic contemplation. It was damaged by a missile last week. | Historic sites in Syria continue to be damaged, including a monastery northwest of Aleppo where a fifth-century monk, St. Simeon Stylites, is said to have spent decades in hermetic contemplation. It was damaged by a missile last week. |
| The Syrian Army used a medieval citadel overlooking ancient Palmyra as a military base, and numerous Syrian sites — including the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Crac des Chevaliers, a medieval fortress used by Crusaders — have been damaged during the five-year civil war. (Ancient sites like castles often end up militarized for strategic reasons: They tend to be built on defensible terrain.) | The Syrian Army used a medieval citadel overlooking ancient Palmyra as a military base, and numerous Syrian sites — including the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Crac des Chevaliers, a medieval fortress used by Crusaders — have been damaged during the five-year civil war. (Ancient sites like castles often end up militarized for strategic reasons: They tend to be built on defensible terrain.) |
| Although a 1954 convention requires nations to refrain from destroying “cultural property” during wartime, such destruction has continued. Here are some examples of cultural heritage around the world that has been harmed as a result of negligence, recklessness or worse. | Although a 1954 convention requires nations to refrain from destroying “cultural property” during wartime, such destruction has continued. Here are some examples of cultural heritage around the world that has been harmed as a result of negligence, recklessness or worse. |
| The ancient Greek temple, built in the fifth century B.C., was used by the Ottoman authorities to store ammunition — and to shelter women and children — during a military offensive by Venetian forces in September 1687. The Venetians opened fire on the temple, and around 700 cannonballs hit the western facade. The gunpowder stored inside the building ignited, “blowing out 28 columns, damaging several internal rooms and killing up to 300 people,” according to a PBS website devoted to the building’s history. | The ancient Greek temple, built in the fifth century B.C., was used by the Ottoman authorities to store ammunition — and to shelter women and children — during a military offensive by Venetian forces in September 1687. The Venetians opened fire on the temple, and around 700 cannonballs hit the western facade. The gunpowder stored inside the building ignited, “blowing out 28 columns, damaging several internal rooms and killing up to 300 people,” according to a PBS website devoted to the building’s history. |
| In the early 19th century, the British diplomat Lord Elgin paid the Ottoman authorities for sculptures and reliefs from the Parthenon and moved the treasures to Britain, where they now sit in the British Museum. For decades, Greece — which won its independence from the Ottomans after a war in the 1820s — has sought the return of the sculptures, without success. | |
| In October 1860, another Lord Elgin — son of the Lord Elgin who carted off the Parthenon sculptures — ordered the destruction of a Chinese architectural masterpiece, the Old Summer Palace, built in the 18th century several miles northwest of the Forbidden City. It was at the end of the Second Opium War, which pitted Britain and France against the forces of the Qing dynasty, and Lord Elgin ordered the palace to be set on fire in retaliation for the imprisonment and torture of British and French negotiators. The scale of the destruction — it took thousands of soldiers days to destroy the buildings, killing hundreds of eunuchs and palace servants — has remained an enduring symbol in China of national humiliation. There have been periodic calls over the years for the palace to be rebuilt. | In October 1860, another Lord Elgin — son of the Lord Elgin who carted off the Parthenon sculptures — ordered the destruction of a Chinese architectural masterpiece, the Old Summer Palace, built in the 18th century several miles northwest of the Forbidden City. It was at the end of the Second Opium War, which pitted Britain and France against the forces of the Qing dynasty, and Lord Elgin ordered the palace to be set on fire in retaliation for the imprisonment and torture of British and French negotiators. The scale of the destruction — it took thousands of soldiers days to destroy the buildings, killing hundreds of eunuchs and palace servants — has remained an enduring symbol in China of national humiliation. There have been periodic calls over the years for the palace to be rebuilt. |
| In August 1914, during the early months of World War I, German forces set the university library in Louvain on fire, killed more than 200 residents and expelled thousands of others as part of what Allied propaganda called “the Rape of Belgium.” The New York Times called the destruction of the library “an unforgivable injury to the entire world.” At least 200,000 works, including irreplaceable medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, went up in smoke. | |
| A mountaintop monastery here, built by Benedictine monks in the sixth century, was destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1944. The Allies had mistakenly believed that German troops were inside, and more than 200 Italian civilians who had sought refuge in the abbey were killed. (German paratroopers did later occupy the ruins and used the bombed-out abbey as an observation post.) By one account, the bombing was the result of a translation error. In his memoirs, Winston Churchill defended the destruction of the monastery, writing, “The monastery did not contain German troops, but the enemy fortifications were hardly separate from the building itself.” | A mountaintop monastery here, built by Benedictine monks in the sixth century, was destroyed by Allied bombing in February 1944. The Allies had mistakenly believed that German troops were inside, and more than 200 Italian civilians who had sought refuge in the abbey were killed. (German paratroopers did later occupy the ruins and used the bombed-out abbey as an observation post.) By one account, the bombing was the result of a translation error. In his memoirs, Winston Churchill defended the destruction of the monastery, writing, “The monastery did not contain German troops, but the enemy fortifications were hardly separate from the building itself.” |
| Established as the capital of unified Vietnam in 1802, Hue was the political, cultural and religious center of the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled until the end of World War II. Many of the capital’s grand edifices were destroyed in the early months of 1968, when the communist Vietcong forces mounted the Tet offensive. It prompted a ferocious counterattack by the South Vietnamese Army, with support from American forces. The siege ended with the dislodgment of the Vietcong forces from the city’s ancient citadel, which dated to the early 19th century. Nearly half of the city’s homes were destroyed, and thousands of civilians were killed. | Established as the capital of unified Vietnam in 1802, Hue was the political, cultural and religious center of the Nguyen dynasty, which ruled until the end of World War II. Many of the capital’s grand edifices were destroyed in the early months of 1968, when the communist Vietcong forces mounted the Tet offensive. It prompted a ferocious counterattack by the South Vietnamese Army, with support from American forces. The siege ended with the dislodgment of the Vietcong forces from the city’s ancient citadel, which dated to the early 19th century. Nearly half of the city’s homes were destroyed, and thousands of civilians were killed. |