Alwaght- Syria has reopened the Damascus-based National Museum after war forced it closed for about seven years.
The famed museum, located at the heart of the capital, hosted visitors on Sunday.
The reopening carries a message of improving situation in the country as the war, now in its eighth year, is nearing its end after a majority of the terrorist-held areas returned to the government control.
The museum, the oldest and most important of its kind in the region, was founded in 1920.
The Museum’s unique findings include restorations of underground cemeteries from Palmyra dating to 108 AD and the façade and frescoes of Qasr Al-Hayr al Gharbi, which dates back to the 8th century and lies 80 km south of Palmyra.
Many other important historical artifacts can be found in various wings such as the world’s first alphabet from Ugarit and many Roman-era mosaics with the Museum’s consisting of five wings. The first includes findings that date back to the pre-historic era and the second is called the oriental wing that includes oriental findings dating back to the emergence of writing era. The third includes local findings that go back in time to the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras; the fourth wing displays findings of the Islamic era since the Umayyad Period including the façade of Qasr Al-Hayr al Gharbi and the fifth wing showcases modern and contemporary artworks.
The place was closed in late 2011 after the clashes broke out with the terrorists. General Directorate for Antiquities and Museums stored some 300,000 items and thousands of manuscripts from around the country at secret locations in a bid to protect them against foreign-backed terrorists’ destruction.
ISIS and other terrorist groups destroyed many antiquities when seized regions across the country. On October 5, 2015, ISIS blew off the landmark Arch of Triumph in the 2000-year-old city of Palmyra after capturing it.
Culture Minister expressed readiness to receive excavation missions to carry out researches at the archeological sites, according to Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Calm has been returning to the country as the government forces, supported by Iran, Russia, and Hezbollah, dealt painful blows to the terrorist factions sponsored by the West and its regional allies to oust the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Life is back to normality in the country as the government cleanses the reclaimed areas of militiamen.
Damascus also reopened Syria Expo, a large fair in the country, last year after five years. Investors from across the country and foreign countries attended the event. This year’s expo focused on attracting investment to reconstruct the country as the infrastructure is heavily destroyed during the devastating war.
