Syria's Monuments: their Survival and Destruction

Michael Greenhalgh (PhD 1968) is Emeritus Professor of Art History at the Australian National University. He has published widely on the survival of the Roman world, including most recently Destruction of the Cultural Heritage of 19th-century France: Old Stones versus Modern Identities (Leiden, 2015).

• ContentsIntroductionThe Extent of SyriMapping SyriaThe Syria of Yesterday1 The State of Syria in Recent CenturiesGovernanceEarthquakes and DiseaseTradeCircassians and Other Settlers amongst the MonumentsNomadic ArabsAgriculture and DesertificationConclusion: Impact of Ottoman Decline on Antiquities2 Travel throughout SyriaWhere to Go and How to Get ThereLanguages, Dress and DescriptionsScholars in the EastThe Bible as a GuidebookChanging Horizons Meet the Unchanging EastBiblical Monuments “Identified”Other Guidebooks: Baedeker, Cook & MurrayConfected Guidebooks: An ExampleTravel then Tourism: The Agony and the EcstasyTaxes and RobberyProfiteering SheikhsHaram/Forbidden: Access to Muslim SitesArchitectural Quality: Is Syria Worth Visiting?One-upmanship and Verbal Wars in Travel NarrativesModernisation Changes Travelling in the Unchanging EastConclusion3 The Life and Death of MonumentsSuperstitions and MonumentsTreasure-hunting and Locals’ Knowledge of the PastVandalismRoads Milestones BridgesRailwaysAqueductsTemplesDegradationLocals and AntiquitiesColumns as Structural Tie-barsMosaics and VeneersQuarries and MarbleRe-useAncient Towns and Villages and Their Houses4 The Seabord: Harbours and Ports North to South5 Aleppo and the North 2386 Damascus and the Centre 2627 Bosra and the South 2878 West of the River Jordan 3199 East of the River Jordan 33110 Fortresses Roman, Muslim and Crusader 35611 Mayhem: Archaeology, Museums and Mandates 379ArchaeologyDigging in PalestineFilling Western MuseumsThe First World War and the French & British MandatesConclusionEpilogue: The Monuments of Syria in 2016Syria: TimelinesHistory of Archaeology and Travel in SyriaRecent Political/Military Developments in the Region, and Their SourcesWebsites Detailing Syria’s MonumentsDamaged Sites, Monuments and MuseumsPhotographic Evidence of Destruction in SyriaGuides/Surveys of Monuments and RegionsComputer ReconstructionsConclusion: Warning about “Restoration”Appendix: Brief Biographies of Traveller-ScholarsBibliographyIndexIllustrations