Tragedy At Palmyra
About the ISIS destruction of an ancient caravan city
“…the holy men sat in an atmosphere reeking of antiquity, so thick with the dust of ages that you can’t see through it -nor can they….” Gertrude Bell.
In Eurasia, there are many opportunities for travellers to encounter heritage from antiquity. These offer a window to the past – a time where cultures, languages, armies, economies, religions, and kings blended together and over time, formed the Eurasia we know today. Countries have earned a particular reputation for ancient heritage: Italy, Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and the Palestine Territories, Greece, Malta, Jordan, and Egypt. Yet there’s another country, one suffering from tragedy and carnage. Syria, better known for the bombing and bloodletting cursing their land for the past decade. Yet that’s not all to Syria. This is a country home to history, whether ancient, medieval, or modern. Various empires have travelled across the sand and the market towns: Roman, Ottoman, and Byzantium, just as those three have shaped Constantinople, they are also part of Syria. Religion matters here, too. Much of the population is Sunni Islam, but there are significant pockets of Levantine Christians and Shi’a Muslims. Bashar Al-Assad, the president, is an Alawite, a religious sect flourishing from Shia Islam. Contemporary geopolitics, however, demonstrates the vicious ethnic hatred coming from various factions within Syrian society. Here, among the great cities like Damascus and Aleppo, a traveller may encounter relics from the many ancient sites peppered across the Levant, some being UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Such is the case for Palmyra; once, an ancient metropolis critical to both the Roman and Parthian Empires, but now, mostly dust and ruins, destroyed by the Islamic State. Yet Daesh has slaughtered other examples of ancient heritage. Dura Europos, a highlight of Parthian and Roman history, suffered from significant looting and bombing during the Syrian Civil War. Whereas Ephesus and Petra are welcomed by daily visitors from all across the world, Syria tells a different and miserable story, one of religious fanaticism, the hatred of heritage, and autocratic leaders. The Arab Spring – once promising a liberal, Westernised Middle East free from tyranny – failed to save either Palmyra or Dura Europos. Ancient heritage sites are vulnerable places, the geographical equivalent of a lonely child. One bad moment can annihilate everything. Across Eurasia today, a traveller may encounter medieval markets in Tashkent, renaissance relics in Florence, or modern music in Vienna. Examples of ancient history, roughly the period up to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476, are precious, like Burmese painite. There’s only one Palmyra.
From this ancient city, there are numerous examples of artefacts and archeological evidence. The Great Colonnade of Palmyra was a long street, stretching over a kilometre and linking to the Temple of Bel as well as a funerary temple. ISIS, ever hateful, damaged much of the structure yet large parts are still intact. There’s also the temple of Nabu and a Roman theatre. These emphasise the Greco-Roman heritage of the Near East during antiquity. Likewise, both Petra and Dura Europos show a syncretism of philosophies, religion, and culture. Modernity never won a monopoly over globalisation and the exchange of ideas. In addition, Palmyra is a ‘Caravan city’ – a term coined by Michael Rostovtzeff, which indicates a city where the location and the resulting economic prosperity comes from its location on a desert based trade route. Typically, caravan cities are nestled in Jordan and Syria. Despite this geographical speciality, Palmyra indicates a vibrant and multilingual environment as per the many inscriptions. You certainly find Palmyra, as well as Petra and Dura Europos, capturing your imagination. Ancient history remains both close to us, yet also far away.
Tragically, the tomb portraits which indicated Palmyra’s role in the Silk Roads, suffered from severe damage. The Tetrapylon, which once loomed high as if to touch the sky, is now destroyed. Daesh considered Palmyra as ‘Pagan’ and counteractive to the narrow and hateful view of Islam, which they sought to inflict onto the world. The fact Palmyra still requires significant historical and archeological analysis to better understand antiquity only adds to the misery. In a heartbreaking visual, a visitor (Joseph Eid) creates a juxtaposition of Palmyra before and after ISIS. Dynamite alone can destroy the past. Heritage, after all, rivals glass in its fragility. Yet heritage sites, regardless of their place across Eurasia, remain places of study for historians keen to understand human history. Palmyra once delighted, with Roman monuments and victory inscriptions, but is now heavily restricted in its use for contemporary historians. The rubble, rock, and residue do not paint a hopeful picture.
Today, historians may find themselves limited to fully visualise Palmyra due to the destruction by the Islamic State. Monographs and old photographs will help, as will the various material evidence now in museums such as inscriptions, coins, and art. Historians will also struggle in visiting Syria and accessing the many archives, museums, and collections. This will impact the quality of the historiography and the opportunities to engage with scholars currently working in Syria. Still, cities like Palmyra are not forgotten easily. The reaction from historians and the general public after Daesh’s destruction demonstrate a desire to conserve, and learn, from the past. The ISIS iconoclast cannot understand this.
Note: This article was an assignment for a postgraduate university at Macquarie University, called ‘Caravan Cities.’ Madeleine undertook it in Semester 1, 2024. The unit guide is found here.