The United Nations recently revealed that almost 300 historic sites in Syria have been damaged due to the senseless war in that country. Given the tragic loss of almost 200,000 people in that war, the collapse of its economy and the displacement of millions, historic sites are a casualty often overlooked as trivial collateral damage.
The destruction of historic sites, no matter who is responsible for it, is more than just the knocking down of a structure. It is the eradication of the signs of a civilisation that ever existed on that land.
The people of any nation and their identities are shaped by the history of their land; the very history the people of the nation are made to recite and repeat from childhood. The destruction of the historic sites, therefore, represents not only the loss of an aesthetically pleasing structure or a testament to history, but also the unravelling of a nation and its identity. Historic sites in any nation are that nation’s anchors of identity. They make a nation what it is.
This is perhaps true of Syria more than any other country. Syria was home to one of the earliest civilisations and one of the first permanent human settlements. Syrian history is, therefore, not only the treasure of Syrians but it also belongs to the world. Its destruction should trigger an outcry not only among the people of the region, but also the entire world. This is a casualty of war that is being forgotten now and is likely to forever remain forgotten.
