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INCIDENT REPORT FEATURE: MA’ARA MUSEUM

U. S. DEPT. COOPERATION AGREEMENT NUMBER: S-IZ-100-17-CA021

BY Jamie O’Connell

An airstrike causes severe damage to the Ma’ara Museum

* This report is based on research conducted by the “Safeguarding the Heritage of the Near East Initiative,” funded by the US Department of State. Monthly reports reflect reporting from a variety of sources and may contain unverified material. As such, they should be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

The Ma’ara Museum (or the Murad Pasha Caravansary; متحف معرة النعما), located in the town of Ma’arat al-Numan, represents one of the premiere cultural sites in the region. The museum is comprised of four sections with cross-beamed ceilings connected by arched hallways to service facilities [1]. A mosque and a restaurant are located in the center of the complex, and a marketplace, bathhouse, bakery, grain storage area, and water station that supplies the facility occupy its west side.

The caravansary (built in 1565 CE) was converted into a museum in 1987 to preserve and display historically significant collections of mosaics from the nearby Roman and Byzantine-era Dead Cities, as well as Ebla, Tell Afis, and Tell al-Karkh.

Pre-damage photograph of central courtyard containing artifacts (Wikipedia; November 2, 2009)

Syrian opposition forces, including a group known as the Martyrs’ Brigade of Ma’arat al-Numan, captured Ma’arat al-Numan from regime forces in October 2012. A commander from the FSA-affiliate group Jabhat Ansar al-Islam claimed that when the museum was under regime control, SARG officers used the museum as a headquarters and “robbed most of the contents, especially those easy to carry.”  When opposition forces took the city in 2012, they “collected all the archeological pieces in the museum and rearranged them in one place in secrecy…to protect those pieces from regime bombardment and theft.”

The Ma’ara Museum has been damaged in multiple incidents beginning in March 2014, when the Syrian Directorate-General of Antiquities & Museums (DGAM) reported that the museum had been looted and damaged by opposition forces. In June 2015, ASOR CHI sources reported that a Syrian Army helicopter dropped two barrel bombs on the museum, causing severe structural damage to the eastern wing of the complex (along with several ancient columns and mosaics), as well as the mosque and tekkiye (pilgrim’s residence) located in the central courtyard.

Collapse of a section of the eastern arcade, containing mosaic panels and other artifacts (TDA-HPI; June 16, 2015)
Severe damage to the mosque and tekkiye located in the museum courtyard (TDA-HPI; June 16, 2015)
Damage to the interior of the tekkiye, which also contained a library (TDA-HPI; June 16, 2015)

In March 2016, efforts were undertaken to protect the thousands of square meters of mosaics located at the museum. Volunteers worked to sort between antiquities and debris, and removed debris from the wings of the museum. Archaeologists from the Syrian Heritage Center aided in the collecting of pieces of pottery left in the debris, which were later moved to another wing of the museum for preservation. Mosaics damaged by the airstrike were moved and sandbagged for protection. Column capitals were also relocated into the wings of the museum. The rest of the antiquities on display in the museum halls were moved inside the wings of the site.

Workers placed sandbags in front of mosaic panels for protection (TDA – HPI; March 16, 2016)
Mosaics in outdoor areas were moved into the wings of the museum for protection (TDA-HPI; March 16, 2016)

On May 9, 2016 ASOR CHI sources reported that Syrian regime airstrikes had struck the museum for a second time. This strike caused severe damage, particularly in the bathhouse area of the museum complex. Mosaics, sandbagged in previous preservation efforts, were covered in rubble. The exterior of the northwestern wall, which separated the caravansary from the bathhouse, collapsed into the narrow corridor.

Collapse of part of an interior wall in the west wing of the museum (TDA – HPI; May 9, 2016)
Collapse of an external wall in the northwest area separating the museum from the hammam (TDA-HPI; May 9, 2016)

Site monitors from the Heritage Preservation Center in Idlib, in conjunction with The Day After – Heritage Protection Initiative (TDA-HPI), conducted a physical assessment of the site and documented structural damage. Site monitors noted that the right/east wall of the hallway leading to the lavatories (modern era) had deviated by 32 cm. Severe damage due to weather erosion and heavy snowfall was also noted. As a result of the site visit, the Heritage Preservation Center and TDA-HPI recommended that urgent repairs take place.

Clean-up efforts in the museum after the May 9, 2016 airstrike (TDA-HPI; May 10, 2016)
A deviated wall in western section of museum (ASOR CHI; May 2016)

In June 2017, the Day After Heritage Protection Initiative (TDA-HPI), in partnership with the Syrian Heritage Center (SHP), began a mitigation project to repair the deviated wall within the museum in order to protect the building from collapse. The work concluded successfully in August 2017.

Workers dismantled and rebuilt the damaged wall using the original stone bricks (ASOR CHI; August 2017)

On January 2, 2018 the Idlib Antiquities Center reported that Russian warplanes bombed the Ma’ara Museum, causing severe damage to the museum’s galleries. ASOR CHI Co-Investigator Amr al-Azm received a report from on-the-ground sources that the airstrike caused severe damage to the museum’s west wing and gallery, which was confirmed by local reporting groups.

Damage to northwestern corner of the arcade in the Ma’ara Museum courtyard (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)
Damage to an interior hallway of the Ma’ara Museum (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)
Damage to interior of the tekkiye (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)
Collapse of the same wall, with damaged Byzantine-era mosaics (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)
Byzantine-era basket-style column capital or base, in damaged western arcade of Ma’ara Museum (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)
Roman column with Greek inscription from Cyrrhus in damaged northern arcade (Maara Media Center/Twitter; January 2, 2018)

Many artifacts displayed in the courtyard had been moved following previous incidents of damage to the museum, and thus most of the damage was limited to the building itself. Several of the artifacts that were too heavy to move, including two Byzantine-era sarcophagi, sustained damage in the latest incident. One of the sarcophagi had already been damaged by a previous airstrike and repaired by TDA-HPI workers in August 2015.

Repairing a sarcophagus against the northern wall of the tekkiye in the museum courtyard (TDA-HPI; August 5, 2015)
Destruction present after the January 2018 airstrike (TDA-HPI; January 2, 2018)
Damage to Byzantine-era sarcophagus against the northern wall of the tekkiye in the museum courtyard (TDA-HPI; January 2, 2018)
Damaged amphorae in the interior of the Ma’arra Museum (Orient News; January 4, 2018)
Photograph of damage to mosaic panels following June 2015 barrel bombing (APSA; June 2015)

Between January 1–3, 2018 at least three vital facilities in Ma’arat al-Numan, including the museum, were heavily damaged by aerial bombardment. Aerial bombardment has increased in Idlib Governorate, following months of relative quiet resulting from a so-called “de-escalation agreement” reached by Russia and the Syrian regime. The town of Ma’arat al-Numan is currently under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The Syrian regime has vowed to retake Idlib Governorate in 2018.

Sources:

[1] Burns, Ross (2009) The Monuments of Syria: A Guide. I. B. Tauris. 195.