Euphrats Post
Since time began great civilisations were created and settled in the rich valley of the Euphrates. People attracted by the immortality of the river said to be from paradise. The water supply enriching the land to make it fertile and prosperous. Throughout ancient times many civilisations came to the area of Deir ezzor, its fame created through Babylonians, Persians, Romans and Arabs all of which have left their footprint mark on the territory as they ruled with their empires. An area rich with archaeological artefacts in ancient mounds and castles. The east and north of Syria, with more than 2,800 archaeological mounds. The region history stretches back to nine thousand years BC leading to a rich diversity of cultures that have left much to be discovered on archaeological digs. Treasures from gold silver to everyday pots that were used to give insight into life in ancient times. The valley a cradle for man’s early life on earth. But man’s evolution to this time of now has a sting of vandalism and robbing of the older times. Much was taken to local reports secretly by the Assad family the Deir Ezzor museum emptied of artefacts in the early outbreak of war, squandered away from the people for their private gain..… Other treasures have been destroyed since in the intensified Syrian revolution and the lawless capture of Deir Ezzor. A mix of bombing and vandalism of looting and theft. The area becoming a crime scene on grand proportions of man’s degradation not evolution. A geographical area now lost the essence of the civilisations of the now and the past with this loss of respect. The surrounding areas all seeped in the history of ancient trading posts now trading in death and destruction. From the city of Abu Kamal which dates back to the 4th century BC to Mari by the border with Iraq all noted with great esteem for major trade throughout all time. All now bear the scars of regimes that wish to take and rob and loot this land that is full of ancient treasure and history. The motives to destroy and take to have no regard for life and the land. No obedience to law but only to the lawlessness of pirates that have come to help themselves to the treasure to promote their ignorance and destruction of peace and civilisation. With this no regard or appreciation for the past human history. No regard for the present human society to infuse with their tyrannical regime to control and conquer for their own means. A means that has no clarity in the darkness they create only that of death of destruction. The mechanism of destruction is to bulldoze the archaeological areas to find treasure to sell for profit to sustain the regime. Modern day machines and equipment to destroy the past removing the entire hills which caused an archaeological catastrophe leading to complete destruction. Abuses that destroyed archaeological sites in a frenzy of ignorant pillage by the opposition forces, the so-called Free Syrian Army Brigades and al-Qaida factions and the factions are free Sham in addition to Daesh. Years of research painstaking workshops of discovery to find out more of the ancient roots of the land gone destroyed by those that have no regard for the knowledge held within. Local people women and children employed in the work of discovery their work destroyed. They would work in neighbouring sites and areas to find the history of the past in this valley of the Euphrates some findings were traded for income. Then the area was infiltrated by the daesh regime to destroy ancient monuments such as Palmyra but taking goods of value to sell to unknown areas and through private networks outside the country to gain the best price. The trading network through Damascus, Lebanon and Europe. Daesh sought and brought experts in the field to help sift and sort through the antiquity to find the most precious. These experts under the protection of their order and regime. While the country spilled human blood in bitter conflict they bled the country of its cultural heritage. The landmarks of civilisation hammered away and destroyed by a modern day man that lost his moral link to ancient tribes with no respect for forefathers of this land. Tearing and pulling up roots of those that had been before to help us learn from their past to bring us into the now. A now perverted by oppressive pirates with no regard for all around them. What is the benefit of UNESCO in the world of supposed humanitarian growth to burn all his inheritance at the hands of gangs without punishment? Why the international system does not move more effectively to protect the inheritance that makes a human being human? Do not worry about all that makes a human a human being our roots in our past? Feeling anxious is not enough in the shadow of the international silence which became as if a driven law that there are no solutions that can save a minimum of this inheritance. It is true that I cannot move a city to save it in its entirety impossible without that saving becoming its destruction too. But those with value to our past our heritage could smuggle what we could out away from the hands of the disputing parties. The past artefacts saved and laid to rest in a neighbouring land of peace to be able to exhibit the remnants in association with UNESCO to Isolate Heritage humanitarian Syrian civilization. In an act so that our country and our past heritage was not lost in all its entity, that our history did not become a forgotten one, a barren desert of lost treasure and meaning. That future generations had something of the past ancient times to understand their now and their being. Syria could be understood from ancient to the modern and the crimes of the vandalism not totally destroyed the heart and the essence of the civilisations that made the country and the people who and what they are…the fruit of our forefathers and all the tribes and civilisations that give us our identity as Syrians.