A list with useful references and links to different agents, institutions and organisations involved in the protection of cultural heritage is now available. The list has been compiled within the framework of the three projects Palmyra Portrait Project, Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra’s Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt’s Digital Archives as well as Circular Economy and Urban Sustainability in Antiquity – Palmyra as a Case Study – all directed by Professor and Centre Director Rubina Raja.

Since 2011, the Syrian conflict has had atrocious consequences – first and foremost human, but it has also led to irreparable damage of the Syrian cultural heritage. As such, the spectacular ancient desert city of Palmyra has been destroyed heavily during the conflict.

Documenting the rich Palmyrene cultural heritage

The Palmyra Portrait Project, which was initiated in 2012 and is funded by the Carlsberg Foundation, has collected, documented and catalogued more than 3.700 Palmyrene portraits from various museums and private collections across the world. In doing so, the research conducted within the project has helped bring about a renewed focus on the value of the unique cultural heritage in Palmyra. The work conducted by the Palmyra Portrait Project led to two new projects focusing on the rich Palmyrene cultural heritage.

Funded by the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas, the ALIPH Foundation, the project Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra’s Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt’s Digital Archives aims to recontextualize and recreate artefact assemblages that have been affected by the war in Syria. This is possible thanks to the extensive photographic archive of Harald Ingholt, who conducted fieldwork in Palmyra during the 1920s and 1930s. His archive has preserved the images of monuments, some of which are now destroyed or damaged, as well as valuable information about their context.

Circular Economy and Urban Sustainability in Antiquity – Palmyra as a Case Study, funded by the Carlsberg Foundation and the Augustinus Foundation, makes use of the data collected by the Palmyra Portrait Project in order to provide new perspectives on the ancient economy of Palmyra, and the long-term mechanisms and developments in human societies. Since the Palmyrenes left no written accounts of their activities, we have to rely on the material heritage that survived from the site in order to understand how their economy was structured and sustained.

Preservation and use of cultural heritage – a shared responsibility

Both new projects form part of the great debate about preservation and uses of cultural heritage. In the first project, this takes centre stage, but even in the second, the survival of Palmyrene objects and buildings directly affects the methods – and results – of the investigation. The cultural heritage resources has thus had an important role in the creation of the broader framework of these two projects. In return, both projects will contribute to the continued and important work with preservation of Syrian cultural heritage through research and international collaborations.

The list with cultural heritage resources has been made available on the three project websites of the Palmyra Portrait Project, Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra’s Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt’s Digital Archives as well as Circular Economy and Urban Sustainability in Antiquity – Palmyra as a Case Study. All three projects clearly demonstrate how research in corporation with non-governmental organizations and cultural institutions can ensure, protect and help save the important cultural heritage from conflict areas such as Palmyra.

Other links

• Project website for Archive Archaeology: Preserving and Sharing Palmyra’s Cultural Heritage through Harald Ingholt’s Digital Archives
• Project website for Circular Economy and Urban Sustainability in Antiquity – Palmyra as a Case Study
• Project website for Palmyra Portrait Project
• Website for Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (UrbNet)