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Palmyra: Syrian forces make advances 'retaking' Islamic State-held city

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Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian airstrikes have seized three neighbourhoods inside Palmyra, a town with famed Roman-era ruins that fell to Islamic State last May

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Palmyra: Palmyra, ancient city in south-central Syria, 130 miles (210 km) northeast of Damascus. The name Palmyra, meaning "city of palm trees," was conferred upon the city by its Roman rulers in the 1st century ce; Tadmur, Tadmor, or Tudmur, the pre-Semitic name of the site, is also still in use.

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The battle in May over the Syrian town of Palmyra was notable for being isis 's first major military victory against the forces of the Assad government. The Army fled, leaving the jihadis in control of sizable gas reserves, the brutal prison where thousands of Islamists and political dissidents had formerly been held (which they blew up), and the ruins of a fabled dominion that was once ruled by a queen named Zenobia, who dared to threaten the power of imperial Rome. Zenobia's empire reached across Egypt and through much of modern-day Turkey. Her city's remains are now in the hands of a force that wages war on civilization, both modern and ancient.

"Zenobia was esteemed the most lovely as well as the most heroic of her sex," Gibbon wrote in an awestruck account of her brief reign. "She claimed her descent from the Macedonian kings of Egypt, equaled in beauty her ancestor Cleopatra, and far surpassed that princess in chastity and valor." The only contemporary representation we have of Zenobia is on a coin, which makes her look rather witchlike, but Gibbon's description of her pearly-white teeth and large black eyes, which "sparkled with uncommon fire," cast a spell over future historians, both in the West and in the Arab world, who quarrel over nearly everything having to do with Zenobia and her confounding legacy.

She was probably in her twenties when she took the throne, upon the death of her husband, King Odenathus, in 267 or 268. Acting as regent for her young son, she then led the army in a revolt against the Romans, conquering Egypt and parts of Asia Minor. By 271, she had gained control of a third of the Roman Empire. Gibbon sometimes portrays the warrior queen as a kind of well-schooled Roman society matron. "She was not ignorant of the Latin tongue," he writes, "but possessed in equal perfection the Greek, the Syriac, and the Egyptian languages." Palmyra's abundant wall inscriptions are in Latin, Greek, and an Aramaic dialect, not Arabic. But to Arab historians, such as the ninth-century al-Tabari, Zenobia was a tribal queen of Arab, rather than Greek, descent, whose original name was Zaynab, or al-Zabba. Among Muslims, she is seen as a herald of the Islamic conquests that came four centuries later.

This view, popular within the current Syrian regime, which boasts Zenobia on its currency, also resonates within radical Islamic circles. Glen Bowersock, a professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, says, "I suspect isis believes Palmyra to be somehow a distinctively Arab place, where Zenobia stood up to the Roman emperor." Indeed, isis fighters, after seizing Palmyra, released a video showing the temples and colonnades at the ruins, a unesco World Heritage site, intact. "Concerning the historical city, we will preserve it," an isis commander, Abu Laith al-Saudi, told a Syrian radio station. "What we will do is pulverize the statues the miscreants used to pray to." Fighters then set about sledgehammering statues and shrines.

Zenobia's nemesis was the Roman emperor Aurelian, who led his legions through Asia Minor, reclaiming parts of the empire she had taken. Near Antioch, she met him with an army of seventy thousand men, but the Roman forces chased them back to their desert stronghold. During the siege of the city, Aurelian wrote to Zenobia, "I bid you surrender, promising that your lives shall be spared." She replied, "You demand my surrender as though you were not aware that Cleopatra preferred to die a queen rather than remain alive." Zenobia attempted to escape to Persia, but was captured before she could cross the Euphrates. Palmyra was sacked after a second revolt. Aurelian lamented in a letter to one of his lieutenants, "We have not spared the women, we have slain the children, we have butchered the old men."

Today, that dire role is being enacted by the isis invaders. They have killed scores of civilians near Palmyra and executed soldiers in its ancient amphitheatre, in order to make yet another grotesque video documenting a new age of barbarism. In a region once ruled by a strong-willed queen, women who don't bend to ISIS 's narrow beliefs may be sold into sex slavery.

Some Arab sources adhere to the theory that Zenobia committed suicide before she could be caught. Gibbon follows Roman accounts that place her in Rome as the showpiece of Aurelian's triumphal procession. "The beauteous figure of Zenobia was confined by fetters of gold; a slave supported the gold chain which encircled her neck, and she almost fainted under the intolerable weight of jewels," he writes. The grand homecoming apparently elicited a snarky response from the commentariat. According to the "Historia Augustus," Aurelian complained, "Nor would those who criticize me, praise me sufficiently, if they knew what sort of woman she was." Instead of beheading her in front of the Temple of Jupiter, once a common fate of renegades, he awarded her a villa in Tivoli. The historian Syncellus reported that she married a Roman senator; their descendants were listed into the fifth century.

As isis occupies the ruins of Zenobia's city, it is worth comparing the goals and the acts of this modern phenomenon with those of Palmyra nearly two thousand years ago. "It was one of the most extraordinary cities in antiquity," David Potter, a professor of Greek and Roman history at the University of Michigan, says. "It was literally a city where East meets West." Palmyra, which in Western portrayals comes across as a kind of desert Camelot, was a center of learning and tolerance, enriched by its exposure to the outside world, as caravans from China, India, and Arabia passed through on their way to the Roman provinces. The city reached its multicultural zenith during Zenobia's reign; although it was a largely pagan society, Jews and Christians also formed part of the social fabric and were represented at court. Zenobia herself may have been Jewish, or a convert, several sources suggest.

Perhaps Zenobia's ambition outstripped her resources, but the ideal of an Arab empire equal to that of Rome still animates the dreams of many. The great Arab civilization of modern time still awaits its champion, but it is the values embodied by Zenobia and her city that will be the hallmarks of its success, and not isis 's rejection of modernity, its persecution of believers in other faiths, its subjugation of women, and its abolition of history. ♦

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The battle in May over the Syrian town of Palmyra was notable for being isis 's first major military victory against the forces of the Assad government.

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There was no protection of Palmyra even though there was knowledge that ISIS was marching there and intended on using it for propaganda etc.
- Destruction of culture and homeland
- ISIS regulated the looting of ancient artefacts from Palmyra and the surrounding ancient ruins.
- Thing that upset archaeologist community so much was the excecution of Palmyra archaeologist  Khaled Asaad, who was beheaded by ISIL.
- Need to think about how Palmyra can tell both its modern and ancient stories?

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Palmyra: the modern destruction of an ancient city

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Site of Palmyra
- oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra
- contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.
-From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.

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Site of Palmyra

An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

Site de Palmyre

Oasis du désert de Syrie au nord-est de Damas, Palmyre abrite les ruines monumentales d'une grande ville qui fut l'un des plus importants foyers culturels du monde antique. Au carrefour de plusieurs civilisations, l'art et l'architecture de Palmyre unirent aux I et II e siècles les techniques gréco-romaines aux traditions locales et aux influences de la Perse.

Description is available under license CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0

パルミラの遺跡

パルミラは1～3世紀の間、ギリシャ・ローマの西方文化とパルティア・ペルシアなどの東方文化の接点として栄えたシルクロードの隊商都市。18世紀以降の調査によって、石灰岩でつくられた広大な都市の全体像が明らかにされた。メーンストリートの列柱道路は、幅11m、長さ1.2kmにわたって375本もの石柱を並べた壮大なものである。

source: NFUAJ

Gebied van Palmyra

Palmyra is een oase in de Syrische woestijn ten noordoosten van Damascus. Het bevat monumentale ruïnes van een grote stad die een van de meest belangrijke culturele centra van de oude wereld was. De stad bevond zich van de 1e tot de 2e eeuw op een kruispunt van verschillende beschavingen. In die tijd zorgden de kunst en architectuur van Palmyra ervoor dat Grieks-Romeinse technieken zich verenigden met lokale tradities en Perzische invloeden. De pracht van de ruïnes van Palmyra heeft in belangrijke mate bijgedragen aan de verdere opleving van de klassieke bouwstijlen en stedenbouw in het Westen.

Source: unesco.nl

Outstanding Universal Value

Brief synthesis

An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.

First mentioned in the archives of Mari in the 2nd millennium BC, Palmyra was an established caravan oasis when it came under Roman control in the mid-first century AD as part of the Roman province of Syria. It grew steadily in importance as a city on the trade route linking Persia, India and China with the Roman Empire, marking the crossroads of several civilisations in the ancient world. A grand, colonnaded street of 1100 metres' length forms the monumental axis of the city, which together with secondary colonnaded cross streets links the major public monuments including the Temple of Ba'al, Diocletian's Camp, the Agora, Theatre, other temples and urban quarters. Architectural ornament including unique examples of funerary sculpture unites the forms of Greco-roman art with indigenous elements and Persian influences in a strongly original style. Outside the city's walls are remains of a Roman aqueduct and immense necropolises.

Discovery of the ruined city by travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries resulted in its subsequent influence on architectural styles.

Criterion (i): The splendour of the ruins of Palmyra, rising out of the Syrian desert north-east of Damascus is testament to the unique aesthetic achievement of a wealthy caravan oasis intermittently under the rule of Rome from the Ier to the 3rd century AD. The grand colonnade constitutes a characteristic example of a type of structure which represents a major artistic development.

Criterion (ii): Recognition of the splendour of the ruins of Palmyra by travellers in the 17th and 18th centuries contributed greatly to the subsequent revival of classical architectural styles and urban design in the West.

Criterion (iv): The grand monumental colonnaded street, open in the centre with covered side passages, and subsidiary cross streets of similar design together with the major public buildings, form an outstanding illustration of architecture and urban layout at the peak of Rome's expansion in and engagement with the East. The great temple of Ba'al is considered one of the most important religious buildings of the 1st century AD in the East and of unique design. The carved sculptural treatment of the monumental archway through which the city is approached from the great temple is an outstanding example of Palmyrene art. The large scale funerary monuments outside the city walls in the area known as the Valley of the Tombs display distinctive decoration and construction methods.

Integrity (2009)

All the key attributes, including the main colonnaded street, major public buildings and funerary monuments, lie within the boundary. The tower tombs and the citadel are vulnerable to minor earthquakes and lack of conservation. Since the time of inscription, the population of the adjacent town has increased and is encroaching on the archaeological zone. Although traffic has increased, the main road that passed through the site has been diverted. Increased tourism has brought pressure for facilities within the property.

Authenticity (2009)

The key attributes display well their grandeur and splendour. However the setting is vulnerable to the encroachment of the adjacent town that could impact adversely on the way the ruins are perceived as an oasis closely related to their desert surroundings.

Protection and management requirements (2009)

The site was designated a national monument and is now protected by the National Antiquities law 222 as amended in 1999. A buffer zone was established in 2007 but has not yet been submitted to the World Heritage Committee.

The regional strategic action plan currently under preparation is expected to provide guidelines to expand and redefine the site as a cultural landscape, with respect to the transitional zones around the archaeological site, the oasis and the city.

There is an on-going need for a conservation and restoration plan to be developed that addresses fully the complex issues associated with this extensive multiple site and will allow for coordinated management, clear priorities and a cultural tourism strategy and address the issues of expansion of the nearby town.

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Site of Palmyra An oasis in the Syrian desert, north-east of Damascus, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world. From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences.

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Palmyra: Before and after ISIS | Pictures | Reuters

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A 2010 view shows the intact Temple of Bel in the historic Syrian city of Palmyra. The temple, an ancient fusion of Near Eastern and Greco-Roman architecture named for the Mesopotamian god Bel, was de

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Generally the caravan trade leaves few traces except for some anecdotal literature and what remains of the goods carried by it to its destinations. Hence the existence of Palmyra, which is recognized by even the most critical historians as a true caravan city, is an important resource in the study of the Silk Road [1].