\u201cThey date from the ninth millennium B.C. to the 14th and 15th centuries A.D. Every object represents a distinct chapter in Syria\u2019s history,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\t For Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria\u2019s former director-general of antiquities and museums, the return closes a chapter that stretched across years of war, diplomatic isolation and failed attempts to retrieve the collection.<\/p>\n Abdulkarim, now a professor of archaeology at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, said the loan was made as part of normal cultural cooperation before the conflict.<\/p>\n Abdulkarim said he formally requested the return of the artifacts in 2014 but received no response. He said French officials later told Syrian authorities they could not communicate with representatives of Assad\u2019s government, which had become internationally isolated and subject to broad sanctions after the crackdown on anti-government protests and the ensuing civil war.<\/p>\n He said UNESCO\u2019s Beirut office later tried to mediate, but the effort also failed.<\/p>\n The dispute also had personal consequences, Abdulkarim said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were interrogated by Bashar Assad\u2019s security forces,\u201d he said. \u201cWe were beaten and accused of being too lenient in protecting Syria\u2019s antiquities. Had it not been for the correspondence we had sent to the institute proving we had repeatedly requested the artifacts\u2019 return, we could have been imprisoned.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Despite the ordeal, Abdulkarim said he welcomed the renewed cultural cooperation.<\/p>\n \u201cI am very happy that, despite everything that happened, the war is over, Syria is reopening to the world and cultural exchange is returning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Syria\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said France is the first country to cooperate with Syria under a national campaign to recover antiquities held abroad since Assad was overthrown by insurgent forces, ending more than five decades of Assad family rule.<\/p>\n Despite the war and severed ties, Syrian artifacts have previously been repatriated under formal loan agreements, Abdulkarim said. Around 2017, Italy returned two pieces that had been damaged by the Islamic State group after restoring them for an exhibition in Rome on the destruction of cultural heritage, he added. Other artifacts remain in Japan under a longstanding archaeological cooperation agreement dating back to excavations conducted there in the 1980s.<\/p>\n \t Meanwhile, Abdulkarim said, thousands of Syrian artifacts looted from archaeological sites during the war remain scattered around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cRecovering them will require years of diplomatic work,\u201d Abdulkarim said.<\/p>\n He said the return from France sends \u201ca positive message for the future\u201d and could help encourage further international cooperation to recover Syria\u2019s stolen heritage.<\/p>\n Syria\u2019s cultural heritage suffered extensive damage during the country\u2019s nearly 14-year conflict. Ancient cities, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Palmyra, were heavily damaged, while landmarks such as the medieval Crusader fortress of Crac des Chevaliers bear scars from years of fighting. IS militants also destroyed temples, tombs and monumental sculptures in Palmyra, considering them symbols of idolatry, while trafficked antiquities became a lucrative source of revenue for armed groups.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
\t\t\t
\t\t\tAlready a member? Sign in to stop seeing this<\/a><\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t That\u2019s why we started the Times of Israel – to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.<\/p>\n So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven\u2019t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.<\/p>\n For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.<\/p>\n Thank you, \t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26189474600167-1-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tAn open crate containing Palmyrene funerary reliefs that once adorned the walls of tombs and date to the second and third centuries A.D. after Syrian authorities unveiled antiquities returned from France at the National Museum in Damascus, Syria, July 8, 2026. (AP\/Ghaith Alsayed)\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AFP__20260707__B9G482B__v1__HighRes__SyriaFrancePoliticsDiplomacy-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tFrance\u2019s President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syria\u2019s President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a meeting at the People\u2019s Palace in Damascus on July 7, 2026. (Ludovic Marin \/ AFP)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26189487982099-e1783671816715-640x400.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n\t\tMuseum employees prepare to unpack crates containing antiquities returned from France at the National Museum in Damascus, Syria, July 8, 2026. (AP\/Ghaith Alsayed)<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Untitled-design-4-200x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tYou’re a dedicated reader\t\t\t<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/334x334-200x200.png\" "\\"\\"\/")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tJoin Our Community\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n