Prague National Museum is set to return a group of twenty artifacts, which were temporarily housed at the museum for restoration after being damaged during the Syrian conflict, to the country next month. The limestone funerary portraits from the ancient site of Palmyra, which were part of the grouping of items that were overseen by the Czech museum’s restorers, will be among those returned to Syria.
The area suffered damage in 2015 during an invasion by Islamic State group militants. Syria regained control of the territory in 2017. In a statement, Prague’s National Museum director Michal Lukes told AFP that artifacts are commonly damaged in conflict zones due to fighting, ideological reasons, and local people looking for something to sell. The museum believes the works were intentionally damaged by a metal hammer.
The museum has been working with Syrian government officials overseeing the restoration of cultural heritage sites since 2017. In 2022, officials transferred the twenty artifacts from Syria to be restored by a conservation team of six. Palmyra’s relics have been the subject of diplomatic efforts by cultural experts before. The Syrian army retreated the region from Islamic State militants with support from Russia in 2017.
Restoration work around the site, located in central Syria’s Homs Governate province, has been ongoing since Russian specialists were called on to help rebuild the site in 2018. The Prague National Museum has carried out similar restoration partnerships with cultural officials from Sudan and Afghanistan.
The Syrian artifacts, which include metal and bronze objects, are on display at the Prague museum’s current exhibition “Restored Face” which is slated to close in May. The return of these items to Syria marks an important milestone in the preservation of cultural heritage sites damaged during the Syrian conflict.
The museum’s restoration efforts, in partnership with Syrian officials, have helped restore important artifacts and provided employment opportunities for local conservation specialists. The collaboration also highlights the importance of cultural diplomacy in preserving the world’s heritage and ensuring that future generations can appreciate the richness and diversity of our shared history.
The return of these restored artifacts is a significant step in the preservation of Syria’s cultural heritage. It is a testament to the dedication and hard work of the museum’s conservation team and the Syrian officials working to protect and restore cultural heritage sites in the region. The Prague National Museum’s efforts serve as an inspiration to other cultural institutions around the world to collaborate in the preservation of our collective heritage.
