When French President Emmanuel Macron visited Damascus in early July, he pledged to support the country’s rebuilding efforts in the wake of former President Basher al-Assad’s overthrow 18 months prior. While the main focus of the visit was economic—Macron discussed reviving Syria’s banking sector and returning more than $50 million that had been confiscated from the Assad family—the diplomatic gesture also involved the return of 23 artifacts that had been held in France since their initial loan for an exhibition at the Arab World Institute in Paris 15 years ago.
According to a report in the Associated Press last month, Macron himself transported the artifacts on the presidential plane and delivered them to Syria’s National Museum. The objects date from the ninth millennium BCE to the 14th and 15th centuries A.D., and were originally loaned from museums in Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, and Palmyra.
Now, a selection of these objects are on view as part of a summer festival at the Damascus Citadel, a former military fortress and UNESCO World Heritage site that recently reopened.
According to Turkiye Today, the objects are on view in the citadel’s Throne Hall and include funerary sculptures, relief objects, and other ancient Roman artifacts.
Abdurrahman Amer, a festival official, noted the significance of the exhibition. “People are visiting this citadel for the first time in their lives. At the same time, the return of these historical artifacts and their reunion with Syrians after many years is creating great happiness and excitement.”
