Castles, Ancient Treasures Under Fire in Syria—Possibly Beyond Repair
As shells rip through ancient citadels and artifacts go missing, experts worry some damage may be beyond repair.
As fighting intensified last week in Syria's Old City of Aleppo, shells bombarded the city's medieval citadel (picture).
(See pictures of Syria's damaged cultural sites).
The rich collection of buildings and artifacts attests to Syria's 5,000 years of civilization. "Almost all the main chapters of human civilization have a part written in Syria," said Rodrigo Martin, spokesperson for Syrian Archaeological Heritage Under Threat, a group of European and Syrian archaeologists who have tracked damage to Syria's heritage since clashes began.
Babylonians, Greeks, and Persians all fought for control of the region, which was a crossroads for trade between Asia and Europe. Two Roman emperors, Alexander Severus and Philip the Arab, were born in Syria. For an archaeologist in the
