Russia’s Hermitage Museum to take part in developing program to restore Syrian cultural heritage

YEKATERINBURG, April 5. /TASS/. The international program to restore Syria’s cultural heritage is drawn up with the participation of Russia’s Hermitage Museum, Hermitage Director Mikhail Piotrovsky told reporters on Tuesday answering a question from a TASS correspondent concerning Palmyra’s restoration. "A few days ago I spoke with a UNESCO representative about the international program to restore Syria’s cultural heritage. The world’s leading museums are involved in this program along with us," Piotrovsky said. "As far as Palmyra is concerned, our employees will travel there when it is safe there. I’d like to point out that a few years ago specialists began collecting materials about Palmyra’s cultural heritage," he said. Palmyra (also called Tadmor in Arabic), an ancient city in Syria’s Homs province, was under the control of militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) since May 2015 and was liberated by the Syrian army on March 27, 2016, with support from the Russian air group and special operations forces. The city referred to as the "gem" of the Syrian Desert was one of the richest ancient civilization centers. The Silk Route ran through Palmyra located in an oasis some 240 kilometers of Damascus. Palmyra’s architectural museum complex has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. Read more