Appeals to protect, restore al-Raqqa's antiquities

AMINA ALI

AL-RAQQA

The absence of control over the antiquities during the IS mercenaries' occupation of al-Raqqa city led to the destruction of the ruins and antiquities in addition to looting them.

After al-Raqqa liberation from IS mercenaries, Tourism and Antiquities Committee in al-Raqqa Civil Council began to work on the protection of archaeological sites in the city, where the archaeological museum, the wall of Bab Baghdad, Tel al-Bay’ah, and the Roman House are considered the most important monuments in the area.

Despite the efforts of the Committee, their capabilities are not sufficient to protect and interest archaeological sites, and the committee; therefore, appeals to the concerned authorities to assist them in preserving al-Raqqa's historical legacy.

Yasser al-Muhreb, the co-chair of the Tourism and Antiquities Committee in al-Raqqa said to Hawar news agency, "Since the Tourism and Antiquities Committee has been founded, we have done a lot of work. We have gone to the museum and, with the help of the special teams, we have cleaned the museum from the rubble and the mines planted by IS mercenaries in the area before their fleeing."

Al-Muhreb concluded, "Our current capabilities are not enough to restore the monuments so we appeal to the organizations and concerned bodies to the antiquities to help us to protect this historic legacy in the area."

A.H

ANHA