Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Palmyra, SANA- The Syrian Society for Exploration and Documentation, “I am the Syrian”, organized a documentary tourist trip to the historic city of Palmyra with the participation of about 180 volunteers to record observations about the affected archaeological areas and the requirements for improving the service reality to be accomplished in cooperation with the bodies concerned.
The visit included Palmyra National Museum and the archaeological area, along with the oasis of palms and olives and the historic Afqa Spring.
Director of Homs Tourism Directorate, Ahmed Akkash, presented a detailed explanation on the city’s history, its tourism and cultural importance, and the terrorist attacks committed by Daesh “ISIS” terrorist organization to obliterate the archaeological monuments and destroy them systematically.
Akkash pointed out that the Ministry of Tourism and Homs Governorate seek to reactivate the domestic and foreign tourism movement to the city of Palmyra, which is in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.
The leader of the activities of the Syrian Society for Exploration and Documentation, Khaled Nuwilati, in a statement to SANA reporter, indicated that the aim of the trip is to document the reality of the ancient city, its oasis and its ancient heritage, and to convey a realistic image of returning the city of Palmyra to the Syrian tourism map.
Canadian independent journalist Eva Bartlett, who accompanied the participants in the trip, said in a similar statement “This city is one of the greatest historical cities in the world and it is my third visit to the city,” considering that what ISIS terrorist organization has done through focusing on destroying the cultural heritage of the city is a stain on the forehead of all humanity because the aim of sabotaging those historical edifices is to offend the history and culture of mankind.
Bartlett stressed the necessity of the contribution of the international cultural organizations in the restoration of these eternal monuments.
It is noteworthy that the Syrian Society for Exploration and Documentation was established in 2008 and it aims to explore and document the Syrian nature.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
