Restoration of Raqqa Museum with the participation of volunteers from the city

Raqqa- North-Press Agency

Ahmad al-Hassan

The cultural heritage of the city of Raqqa, same as its residents and residences, had its share of looting and vandalism during the Syrian crisis. As soon as the city came out of the control of Syrian government forces, the armed opposition groups began looting and trafficking artifacts outside the country, and the museum was subjected to some strikes which affected its structure during the battles against the Islamic State terrorist group (ISIS).

After the emerge of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the establishing of Raqqa Civil Council in 2017, the latter attached utmost importance to the cultural heritage of the city, through the restoration and protection of archaeological sites, the last of which was restoring the museum and recovering many artifacts that were found in different sites.

Regarding the restoration operations, Yasser al-Mahrab, the head of the Antiquities Office, told North-Press: "We are working in coordination with “Ru’ya (vision) Organization” to restore the archaeological museum in Raqqa, which contained up to 6,000 pieces of artifacts that were looted after the city was out of the Syrian government’s control."

"The restoration needs several stages to be completed, starting with the external stage, which aims to replace the damaged bricks, and the internal restoration, which includes the wooden carpentry, paint and electricity, in addition to the restoration of the garden of the museum," al-Mahrab added as he pointed out that the purpose of the restoration of the museum was to display the antiquities that were saved and taken out from under the rubble.

Furthermore, al-Mahrab noted that the Antiquities Office has recovered more than 500 various artifacts, including pottery, stone pieces, and bronze coins dating back to ancient times.

“Ru’ya Organization” launched the restoration project on the 7th of last November, where the Executive Director of the project in Ru’ya Organization Izza al-Mouh, indicated that the organization is working on installing 30 windows and four wooden doors, in addition to making wooden tables to present the artifacts, plus the restoration operations of internal and external walls. Al-Moah further indicated that the organization has turned into archaeological sites, after most other organizations operating in the city have turned into the health and educational sectors.

Moreover, several workshops in the field of carpentry, reconstruction and cladding with low wages, work in the restoration of the museum in a step to restore this landmark to its former era, where Abu Saleh, a carpenter for furniture said to North-Press: "We, all the workers and me, are working in low prices in the museum to return this historical symbol to how it was before the war." While Ahmad Hassan Musa, a construction worker, explained that he contributed to the restoration of most of the ancient sites in the city, where he said: "I am proud of my work because I contribute to the restoration of the cultural heritage of our city."

The city of Raqqa is one of the oldest cities, in which dozens of archaeological sites dating back to multiple eras have been discovered, the last of which was the city of Meribit, which dates back to the fifth millennium BC.

As the history of the city of Raqqa was enriched by its archaeological museum, with hundreds of paintings and artifacts of various eras, to symbolize the civilization of this ancient city and its historical roots