290 heritage sites damaged in Syria conflict

Satellite images indicate that 290 cultural heritage sites in Syria, whose history stretches back to the dawn of civilisation, have been damaged by its ongoing civil war, the United Nations’ training and research arm (UNITAR) said.

Syria’s heritage spans the great empires of the Middle East but cultural sites and buildings around the country, such as Aleppo’s Umayyad Mosque, have been looted, damaged or destroyed in the conflict.

Using commercially available satellite pictures, UNITAR found that 24 sites were completely destroyed, 189 severely or moderately damaged and a further 77 possibly damaged.