Syria's National Museum re-opens Doors

BBC-Part of Syria's National Museum opened its doors to the public six years after it was closed due to the conflict from the country's civil war. According to the BBC, the museum in Damascus closed in 2012 to protect ancient artifacts from damage and looting. The re-opening is recurring due to the government trying to show normality is returning to Syria.  The Culture Minister, Mohamed al-Ahmad, stated that re-opening the museum would be a sign that the country's cultural history was not destroyed by the conflict. The article stated that the museum's gardens stayed open during the conflict, but the building closed due to the rocket fire from the rebels aimed at the city of Damascus. This closing occurred because many other sites were captured by ISIS groups and were intentionally damaged and destroyed. The BBC article later stated that some of the artifacts and antique items may have been smuggled abroad and sold during the conflict.  However, most of them were hidden away in various locales to prevent looting and destruction of the objects. The Syrian Government stated that thousands of these artifacts have been recovered from rebel-controlled areas.

Anthony Hernandez

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