Syria's Palmyra can be restored 'in five years'

Syria's antiquities chief said on March 28 that his department would need five years to restore the ancient ruins of Palmyra damaged by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes battled ISIL around Palmyra, trying to extend their gains.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria's antiquities chief, said that his department would need five years to restore the ancient ruins of Palmyra damaged by ISIL.

"If we have UNESCO's approval, we will need five years to restore the structures damaged or destroyed by IS [ISIL]," Abdulkarim told AFP.

"We have the qualified staff, the knowledge and the research. With UNESCO's approval, we can start the work in a year's time." 

Abdulkarim's remarks came after the Russian-backed Syrian army ousted ISIL from Palmyra on March 27 in the climax of a three-week offensive.

"Eighty percent of the ruins are in good shape," he said.

"My expert colleagues arrive today in Palmyra. I have asked them to assess the stones and the old city. They are taking pictures of the damage and documenting everything, and then the restoration can begin." 

ISIL overran Palmyra in May last year, sparking global concern for the city's spectacular ancient ruins.

The jihadists used Palmyra's ancient theatre as a venue for public executions and also murdered the city's 82-year-old former antiquities chief, Khaled al-Assaad.

During its 10-month occupation, IS destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel and shrine of Baal Shamin, a dozen of the city's best-preserved tower tombs and the Arch of Triumph dating from around 200 AD.

Meanwhile, Annie Sartre-Fauriat, who belongs to a group of experts on Syrian heritage set up by UNESCO...