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Greetings, Here are the news titles from Al Mayadeen.

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Our reporter in Homs stated that the Syrian army destroyed a factory of explosive devices

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in Khalidiah neighborhood and killed who were inside.

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In the mean time, violent conflicts in Al Sultania neighborhood

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caused the death of eight armed opposition fighters and injured others.

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In Aleppo, the armed conflicts continue around Thouknat Hanano in Arkouk area.

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Al Mayadeen correspondent reported the resistance of the army

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against many attacks by armed opposition forces in Al Maydan area,

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after their advancement into the Old City, especially in Shaghoura.

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In Damascus, the military operations continue in the southern neighborhoods

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such as Tadamon, Kazaz, Daf El Shok and Beit Sahem.

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Activists reported that bombardments reached parts of Al Hajar Al Aswad, Yarmouk camp and Assali.

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Countries of the European Union have agreed to intensify the European sanctions

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imposed on Syria, as the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Erato Marcoullis stated

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Allo

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Good evening

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Good evening Doctor

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How are you?

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We are fine, how are you?

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How is the situation there?

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It's bad and it's getting worse.

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The situation is terrible.

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OK, OK

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Doctor, we will proceed tomorrow, immediately

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We start tomorrow.

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Ahmad, come here! Straight away!

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Come in!

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Close the door

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What's going on Abu Amir?

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Ahmad, we have to close the museum and empty the exhibition halls.

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When?

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Immedialty!

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Actually, in the summer of 2012, when I was appointed as the Director General,

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the situation was complicated!

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In 2012, the crisis was in its beginning,

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the bombing was escalating, and it was the start of a war

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This danger grew larger, slowly with the spread of conflict in Syria in many places.

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When violence started escalating in Aleppo

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we turned our attention to the National Museum due to its exceptional richness in artifacts.

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Tens of thousands of artifacts pertaining to different historical periods.

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We held a meeting with the museum curators

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and gave them instructions to completely evacuate the museum,

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to open the storages and place the artifacts there safely.

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- How are you Ahmad?
- Hello Mr. Khaled.

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- Did you agree with Abu Amir?
- Yes, yesterday evening.

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Well done, do you need anything?

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We need a lot, most importantly we need boxes and foam to protect the pieces.

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It's a huge task and it's going to take weeks.

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We are running out of time, we need to work faster.

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Thank you

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We worked day and night for long hours, and we tried to do as much as possible

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The museum contains 50,000 artifacts

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We had a problem in getting boxes and packaging materials

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like sponge, paper, plastic wraps and tapes

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Our area became a disaster

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There was a state of panic in the museum, the staff were all terrifed...and so was i

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Terror all around, shrapnel everywhere, all the glass shattered

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We started checking the halls and looking for damages on the artifacts

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Before we could finish, about half an hour into it

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We flew off the ground, stones of the museum fell on us.

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This explosion was a disaster for the museum's infrastructure,

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Outside we found head scalps, fingers of the people who were in front of the Amir hotel.

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I realize now that we were living in a war, in every sense of the word.

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After we snapped out of the shock from that blast, and from how dangerous it was

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we realized that we could suffer from far bigger and more dangerous bombings

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and it could even go beyond the bombings. The situation can turn into chaos

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The situation can turn into chaos 

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and someone could manage toget inside the museum.

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In 2003, I was Director of Museum Affairs at the DGAM,

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and we witnessed the destruction of the Baghdad Museum, the looting and theft.

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How could we protect the artifacts?

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This was our concern

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How to protect our artifacts? Where to hide them?

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Where is Ahmad?

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he's on his way.

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Come in

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Hello Ahmad

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We were afraid to lose control with the escalation of violence in Aleppo.

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Here

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Abu Amir, here

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- Let's close this storage
- Ok

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we must also close this one

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we have to close them all

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Here Abu Amir, this room

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This means that we have to start as soon as possible,

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don't tell anyone about this.

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- Of course
- Sure

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- All right?
- Ok

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- Bye
- Bye

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The storage rooms weren't well fortified

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We thought about building concrete walls

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and camouflage them to create hidden storages within the storages

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This way, the important pieces would be invisible to the intruders

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We worked extremely hard on fortifying the secure places

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in order to be fortified against all kinds of dangers,

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whether it is related to water, humidity, fire, explosions or looting

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We secured the rooms in a way that even we wouldn’t be able to enter them

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if we were pressured to do so.

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Now the security level is at its best day and night, 

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we even instructed the curators to take a night shift to supervise the guard duty.

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In that period, I was living and sleeping in the museum daily.

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I also took night shifts and had a bed in my office.

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In this period, I had to leave my house.

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They burned down my house.

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There were explosions, kidnappings, the financial situation was dire and complicated.

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Not everyone had a house to live in, many people lost their homes, lost their cities, their villages.

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I feared for my parents, and they were very afraid for me because I wasn’t in a safe place… 

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“Ahmad, always take care of yourself”

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Allo

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Hi Dad.

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How are you?

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What's going on?

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Good, thank god.

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How are my brothers and sisters doing?

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I hope all is well there?

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Ok Dad, let’s hope.

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Say hello to my siblings for me.

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Bye

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Bye bye

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Dangers were everywhere in Syria, there was threat to people’s homes, lives, children. 

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The situation was worsening, more roads were being blocked

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we couldn’t pass through more streets because of the snipers.

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To continue going to work became a kind of a challenge,

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challenging the painful reality that all Syrians were living in this crucial moment of our history 

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but the mission was sacred.

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I tried to never miss a day of work because I had this feeling that if don’t come for one day,

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I will never come again.

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Daily life was very hard, especially with the daily missiles, terror...

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and on top of this we had to think of a way to protect the objects that we couldn’t hide.

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We tried to find a way that does not require machinery,

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big efforts or a lot of money, 

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because at that time we were unable to provide the materials.

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We tried to benefit from the experiences of international museums that witnessed a war.

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We managed to provide a good amount of sand and bags.

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We bought it at a very high price.

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The sand absorbs part of the impact hence protecting the statues.

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We brought workmen and we worked with them,

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everyone did, the curators, the guards, 

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everyone was working, like in an ant farm.

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About a year later, the humidity started wearing away the sand

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and the sand bags began to tear and sand was falling all over.

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So we had to repeat this operation again.

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We protected these statues twice.

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We began thinking again of a longer lasting protective method.

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We insulated the objects first, built the wooden frame around them and filled them with sand.

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We struggled to provide wood and workmen because of the difficult situation. 

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This was the best we could do within these limited and modest resources.

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We were 10 men and women working there,

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as employees and volunteers who were helping out of love for archaeology.

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The situation was getting worse,

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and the situation in the museum was very bad. 

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Missiles were falling all the time.

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The skirmishes were happening so close that we could hear their sounds.

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- Ahmad.
- Hello Abu Amir.

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The generator is toasted.

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Go straight down to the storage room to check it out.

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Immediately!

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Ok i’m going down right away.

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Come in.

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Ok, ok.

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Ok, ok, no problem.

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Mr. Khaled!

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Mr. Khaled!

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Ok, I have to hang up, there is an emergency.

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What's the matter Abu Amir?

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A shell fell on the generator, it no longer works.

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What a mess!

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Come with me!

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The impact of this missile and the damage it caused

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to our only generator resulted in an increase in water levels. 

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We relied on the main power generator to pump the underground water and lighting.

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We tried to substitute with smaller generators 

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but they couldn’t pump as fast at the bigger generator, so the water levels kept rising.

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We were even more worried about the artifacts that were inside the storage rooms.

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We were racing against the course of events to find a solution

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Allo.

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How are you doing Dr Mamoun?

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Hello Mr. Khaled.

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How is the situation there? Good?

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Dr. the situation in Aleppo’s museum is unbearable,

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the objects are in danger.

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We have to find a solution.

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What are your options?

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We’re suggesting to transfer them by plane.

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Not that’s impossible, the airport is closed, our only option is by land.

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Dr. it’s impossible to do this by land, the road is closed,

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we can’t transfer by land.

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No one would guarantee the safety of the objects.

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But we can’t wait any longer, the situation is very difficult.

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You know we are under siege!

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Ok, we will see, we will find a plan to do what’s needed.

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Yes fine. There must be a solution. Think about it.

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The situation in Aleppo was so bad,

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no water, no electricity, the city was under a severe siege.

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No food was being let into the city.

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In the market you only see cookies and powder juice packets.

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Abou Ali leaves his house in Aleppo everyday and heads towards the waiting line.

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Dozens of citizens line up next to him in front of one of the few bakeries left. 

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The lack of flour imposed by the previous siege on the city,

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in addition to the lack of essential materials, forced many bakeries to stop working.

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You would crave a tomato, a cucumber, some lettuce, but there were none. There is nothing.

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We got water from water tanks but we did not know how clean it was.

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Living conditions were terrible, no fuel, and bread was hard to find.

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If you had a loaf of bread it was considered a treasure.

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I still remember that Despina managed to provide bread 

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and we divided it in half, 

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she took 2 and a half loaves and I took 2 and a half loaves.

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 I took them home, 

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and she told me to try not to eat it all untill we can get some more.

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I will never forget this day, ever. 

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Never forget that we divided the bread between us.

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Don't bother, there’s no water.

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Brew the coffee, I’ll wash the pot.

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Ok

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In addition to the waiting problem, there is a complaint about the high prices

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God damn it, run!

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We mostly feared for my mother

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and we tried to be strong for her 

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because she was terrified of the missiles and she was worried about us.

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We tried to be brave so we could make her stronger

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but fear was always present.

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That’s the coffee.

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Let’s drink it and leave.

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That’s enough for you.

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- I have to go.
- Ok.

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- Bye.
- Close the door.

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- Bye. Do you need anything ?
- No.

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See you tonight.

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- Ok bye.
- Bye.

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The task of saving Syria’s cultural heritage was such a complicated job during the war. 

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How are you going to save your country’s cultural heritage? Especially when it’s so rich with

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thousands of archaeological sites, dozens of Syrian museums, hundreds of thousands of artifacts.

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There was constant danger here. The security situation was at its lowest

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and the only solution was to transfer the artifacts to another location. 

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Come in!

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Hello.

237
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Hello Abu Amir.

238
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What’s going on Abu Amir?

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A top secret order has arrived from Damascus

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to empty the storages

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and move the artifacts to a safer place.

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At first, we need to reopen the hidden storages

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as fast as possible.

244
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No one should know what we are doing.

245
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- Ok.
- Sure. 

246
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You have to start now,

247
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with complete confidentiality, no one should know what we are doing.

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Do you have any questions?

249
00:31:22,046 --> 00:31:23,281
- No.
- Ok.

250
00:31:23,281 --> 00:31:24,349
We start immediately.

251
00:31:24,816 --> 00:31:30,388
When we first heard the instructions, we were shocked.

252
00:31:30,388 --> 00:31:36,527
How can we pack the entire museum in a short time?

253
00:31:36,527 --> 00:31:39,364
So we started packing pieces from the lighter and more precious ones

254
00:31:39,364 --> 00:31:43,368
to the heavier ones that could perhaps better resist humidity.

255
00:31:54,245 --> 00:31:58,850
We had no materials. We had nothing to use for the wrapping and packing

256
00:31:58,850 --> 00:32:00,919
to protect the objects while they’re being transported.

257
00:32:02,587 --> 00:32:09,360
We used cabinets from the museum to make boxes.

258
00:32:09,360 --> 00:32:21,472
We used the sponge from the ceiling as protective buffers between the objects.

259
00:33:06,551 --> 00:33:11,255
We had limited time to pack, 

260
00:33:11,255 --> 00:33:16,260
we were running out of time because at any moment something could happen.

261
00:34:01,672 --> 00:34:04,275
I remember while packing the objects, I was always wondering

262
00:34:04,275 --> 00:34:07,845
will we ever open these boxes again? 

263
00:34:07,845 --> 00:34:10,381
Many questions, so much fear.

264
00:34:10,381 --> 00:34:15,253
By then, the situation in Aleppo’s museum became disastrous,

265
00:34:15,253 --> 00:34:20,958
missiles were falling like rain around the museum almost on a daily basis.

266
00:34:20,958 --> 00:34:25,696
We lived day by day, never thinking about tomorrow.

267
00:34:25,696 --> 00:34:27,165
In the morning, when leaving to work,

268
00:34:27,165 --> 00:34:29,500
we say our goodbyes, because we might never come back.

269
00:34:56,494 --> 00:35:04,202
People who are so close to you, your friends, your second family

270
00:35:04,202 --> 00:35:10,074
one minute you are joking and laughing together, 

271
00:35:10,074 --> 00:35:18,616
and the next minute you don’t know if they are alive or not. 

272
00:35:18,616 --> 00:35:22,920
That fear was terrible in all its details.

273
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:30,261
I stayed out of love for this place, and love for the Syrian artifacts in general,

274
00:35:30,261 --> 00:35:38,903
and the artifacts of Aleppo’s museum in particular, out of love for archaeology.

275
00:35:38,903 --> 00:35:43,808
I stayed out of love and fear for these artifacts. 

276
00:35:43,808 --> 00:35:47,945
I am entrusted with thousands of artifacts, 

277
00:35:47,945 --> 00:35:54,752
 I wasn’t going to abandon them, and I never even thought about it.

278
00:36:00,892 --> 00:36:04,262
Do you think that because a bomb fell, I wouldn’t come to work?

279
00:36:04,262 --> 00:36:10,902
I mean after everything we’ve been through, do you think a bomb would stop me from coming?

280
00:36:10,902 --> 00:36:16,440
 I went into the room to change my clothes and continue working with Ahmad.

281
00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:21,779
The next morning, we came to the museum and Nawrouz had no recollection of any details.

282
00:36:21,779 --> 00:36:28,186
That day had vanished from her life. She remembered no details of it. 

283
00:36:28,186 --> 00:36:31,789
Only that a missile fell and that she ran over to us

284
00:36:31,789 --> 00:36:34,625
but nothing else because she was so traumatised.

285
00:36:34,625 --> 00:36:38,796
We got to the point of being emotionaly impaired. 

286
00:36:38,796 --> 00:36:44,302
We no longer feel fear, no longer feel anything.

287
00:36:44,302 --> 00:36:49,240
I remember that in the last week of work, 

288
00:36:49,240 --> 00:36:56,614
I couldn’t take it anymore I switched off. 

289
00:36:56,614 --> 00:37:02,320
We worked until dawn for 40 consecutive days.

290
00:37:02,320 --> 00:37:07,758
We were only sleeping for 3 or 4 hours a day.

291
00:37:07,758 --> 00:37:14,765
Under heavy mental stress. Under the possibility of being stopped at any moment.

292
00:37:14,765 --> 00:37:17,335
This consumed all our energy. Every part of us.

293
00:37:17,335 --> 00:37:20,471
We finished a large portion of the work.

294
00:37:20,471 --> 00:37:26,377
We put a plan while coordinating with the police department.

295
00:37:26,377 --> 00:37:32,383
When we were tasked by the Aleppo police department and DGAM

296
00:37:32,383 --> 00:37:35,353
to protect the transfer of the artifacts to a safe location

297
00:37:35,353 --> 00:37:39,991
we met with Mr. Khaled Al Masri the director of the department of archaeology

298
00:37:39,991 --> 00:37:45,196
 and came up with a plan to safely transfer the objects.

299
00:37:45,196 --> 00:37:48,699
We are going to move the artifacts from the museum to the university.

300
00:37:48,699 --> 00:37:50,868
How many loads will we need Mr. Khaled?

301
00:37:50,868 --> 00:37:55,006
I can’t give you a number, but whatever we can move, we’re moving.

302
00:37:55,206 --> 00:37:55,740
Ok

303
00:37:55,740 --> 00:37:59,143
It’s too dangerous to move them all in one journey

304
00:37:59,143 --> 00:38:01,212
it must be done in several stages and over several days.

305
00:38:01,212 --> 00:38:04,715
No problem, but the situation around the museum is getting worse.

306
00:38:04,715 --> 00:38:06,917
Try to prepare as soon as possible to start the operation.

307
00:38:23,301 --> 00:38:25,269
It will take place at night,

308
00:38:25,269 --> 00:38:27,338
the route will be prepared.

309
00:38:27,338 --> 00:38:28,372
We will come with 2 cars,

310
00:38:28,372 --> 00:38:30,141
in each of the cars there will be 4 guards.

311
00:38:30,141 --> 00:38:31,642
You will wait for us inside the museum.

312
00:38:32,276 --> 00:38:36,080
All cars will leave the museum with the headlights off

313
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,815
because there are snipers on this street.

314
00:39:50,454 --> 00:39:58,729
Aleppo was raging, bombs, missiles, bullets, a terrible war zone.

315
00:39:58,729 --> 00:40:04,168
We were afraid of losing these objects with each transfer.

316
00:40:28,626 --> 00:40:29,260
Allo.

317
00:40:29,260 --> 00:40:30,361
Hello Dr.

318
00:40:30,361 --> 00:40:31,162
Hi Mr. Khaled.

319
00:40:31,429 --> 00:40:33,531
The items are finally in a safe place.

320
00:40:33,531 --> 00:40:34,398
Very good.

321
00:40:34,398 --> 00:40:37,535
Be careful and increase surveillance.

322
00:40:37,535 --> 00:40:39,870
We might change the location according to the evolution of the situation.

323
00:40:39,870 --> 00:40:41,439
No problem Dr.

324
00:40:41,439 --> 00:40:43,073
We are waiting for your orders.

325
00:40:43,073 --> 00:40:46,277
Thank you, may God be with you, we’ll keep in touch.

326
00:40:46,277 --> 00:40:47,244
Bye.

327
00:41:49,673 --> 00:41:56,580
 In April 2015, the situation in Syria was very complicated and extremely violent. 

328
00:41:56,580 --> 00:42:01,685
We heard of the fall of Idlib, Bosra and later Palmyra. 

329
00:42:01,685 --> 00:42:06,824
The situation was very complex and Aleppo was no different from these other cities.

330
00:42:06,824 --> 00:42:11,428
Our fear of the inscreasing instability on the outskirts of Aleppo

331
00:42:11,428 --> 00:42:18,769
made us think that we need to take the objects outside of Aleppo, and quickly.

332
00:43:17,361 --> 00:43:21,832
We were concerned. It was a big risk keeping them in Aleppo

333
00:43:21,832 --> 00:43:24,735
and we’ll also be taking a big risk if we transport them

334
00:43:24,735 --> 00:43:29,640
and making the decision on this issue was extremely difficult.

335
00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:35,145
Dr. Maamoun and myself used to sit and think about this for long periods of time,

336
00:43:35,145 --> 00:43:39,683
this was highly concerning for us day and night.

337
00:43:39,683 --> 00:43:45,255
We were constantly thinking about how we could make a decision like this.

338
00:43:45,255 --> 00:43:50,661
It was a huge challenge and a difficult decision that I had to make,

339
00:43:50,661 --> 00:43:53,964
a decision that I lost sleep over.

340
00:43:53,964 --> 00:44:02,539
Are we really able to transfer about 24,000 artifacts from Aleppo to Damascus safely?

341
00:44:13,984 --> 00:44:15,085
Hello, Mr. Khaled.

342
00:44:15,085 --> 00:44:16,720
Good evening Dr.

343
00:44:16,720 --> 00:44:17,788
How are you?

344
00:44:17,788 --> 00:44:20,157
Thank god, we are fine

345
00:44:20,157 --> 00:44:21,258
and on your side? How is it going?

346
00:44:21,425 --> 00:44:22,793
Thank God it’s fine.

347
00:44:23,327 --> 00:44:24,728
Did Dr. Mamoun call you?

348
00:44:24,728 --> 00:44:26,397
Yes he did.

349
00:44:26,397 --> 00:44:28,365
Did he tell you that we had to move the objects to Damascus?

350
00:44:28,365 --> 00:44:32,603
Dr. this project will be an extreme risk, it is not that simple.

351
00:44:32,603 --> 00:44:35,406
We made the decision to move the objects and it’s final!

352
00:44:35,406 --> 00:44:38,208
Look, we made an appointment with the police chief for you.

353
00:44:38,208 --> 00:44:39,009
Do you know where it is?

354
00:44:39,009 --> 00:44:40,010
When?

355
00:44:40,010 --> 00:44:40,911
Right now.

356
00:44:40,911 --> 00:44:41,845
Right away?

357
00:44:41,845 --> 00:44:44,181
You settle everything and you call me back.

358
00:44:44,181 --> 00:44:46,083
Ok no problem.

359
00:44:51,822 --> 00:44:56,527
We had big concerns about this, we weren’t enthusiastic about the idea at all.

360
00:44:56,527 --> 00:45:05,369
Of course, transporting thousands of artifacts from the storages of Aleppo University to Damascus 

361
00:45:05,369 --> 00:45:10,007
was a difficult decision, taken in an extremely complicated situation.

362
00:45:10,007 --> 00:45:14,845
Preparing this transfer wasn’t easy at all.

363
00:45:14,845 --> 00:45:21,251
Aleppo was besieged. No one could get in or out.

364
00:45:21,251 --> 00:45:26,957
And here we faced a new issue, which is finding the trucks.

365
00:45:26,957 --> 00:45:32,496
Where would we find large enough trucks in the situation that we were in?

366
00:45:32,496 --> 00:45:37,568
And who would agree to drive these trucks, carrying all these artifacts, 

367
00:45:37,568 --> 00:45:42,272
through the last remaining passage southbound to Damascus?

368
00:45:42,272 --> 00:45:44,241
There was no safe time to do this, nor a safe road. Absolutely nothing was guaranteed.

369
00:45:44,241 --> 00:45:46,076
There was no safe time to do this, nor a safe road. Absolutely nothing was guaranteed.

370
00:46:04,561 --> 00:46:05,896
Allo.

371
00:46:06,697 --> 00:46:08,031
Hello Mr. Khaled.

372
00:46:08,398 --> 00:46:09,733
Fine, what is it?

373
00:46:11,602 --> 00:46:13,203
Do you want me to come up now? 

374
00:46:14,638 --> 00:46:15,806
Has something happened?

375
00:46:16,473 --> 00:46:18,075
Ok, i’m on my way.

376
00:46:38,629 --> 00:46:39,797
Come in!

377
00:46:42,166 --> 00:46:43,333
Come in!

378
00:46:51,408 --> 00:46:54,111
He said: “Desbina, we want to transport the objects to Damascus” 

379
00:46:55,813 --> 00:47:02,186
I said:  “I am ready and I have no problem, just give me the details and time”

380
00:47:04,221 --> 00:47:08,959
He said: “that we will agree on this and don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret” 

381
00:47:12,362 --> 00:47:16,466
He insisted not to tell anyone, even my parents at home did not know.

382
00:47:21,004 --> 00:47:24,775
I didn’t want her to come because I feared for her.

383
00:47:24,775 --> 00:47:28,412
It is a big responsibility, but I packed these pieces myself

384
00:47:28,412 --> 00:47:33,183
and they had become the axis of our lives. All our work was for these pieces 

385
00:47:33,183 --> 00:47:36,720
and so it was very natural of me not to refuse going

386
00:47:36,720 --> 00:47:39,489
because we started this job to keep them safe, and we were going to finish it.

387
00:47:39,489 --> 00:47:47,297
We were living a crucial moment, moments of weakness inside of ourselves, 

388
00:47:47,297 --> 00:47:50,167
 we didn’t know what could have happened at any moment.

389
00:49:12,649 --> 00:49:14,818
We were ready, 

390
00:49:14,818 --> 00:49:20,257
we were just waiting for the green light from the other authorities involved

391
00:49:20,257 --> 00:49:22,926
to let us know when the trucks could start moving.

392
00:49:22,926 --> 00:49:26,530
 It was a normal morning at work when he said to me: “Be prepared, tonight we have work”. 

393
00:49:26,530 --> 00:49:29,099
I knew immediately that we will transport the objects.

394
00:49:29,099 --> 00:49:36,773
At midnight the trucks came with a few workmen 

395
00:49:36,773 --> 00:49:40,010
 and we started loading the boxes into the trucks.

396
00:49:40,010 --> 00:49:48,952
There were 24,000 artifacts in more than 200 boxes.

397
00:49:48,952 --> 00:49:51,421
We worked from night until morning, 

398
00:49:51,421 --> 00:49:57,260
and we told the drivers to come at 7am, after we had finished everything.

399
00:49:57,260 --> 00:50:02,199
 The drivers and the workmen didn’t know what they were transporting,

400
00:50:02,199 --> 00:50:06,636
they were told that they would transport electronic equipment for the university.

401
00:50:42,472 --> 00:50:44,941
Hello Dr. Ahmad.

402
00:50:44,941 --> 00:50:46,276
Hello Khaled.

403
00:50:46,276 --> 00:50:47,077
What’s the news?

404
00:50:47,077 --> 00:50:49,713
Everything is fine. We will be leaving shortly.

405
00:50:49,713 --> 00:50:51,948
Ok fine, how long before the shipment leaves?

406
00:50:51,948 --> 00:50:52,983
If god wills it, we’ll leave in half an hour.

407
00:50:52,983 --> 00:50:55,052
Ok very good, who’s coming with the shipment?

408
00:50:55,052 --> 00:50:59,189
Bashir Shabani, Nawrus and Desbina.

409
00:50:59,189 --> 00:51:00,657
Ok, I will keep in touch with Bashir.

410
00:51:00,657 --> 00:51:02,993
Pray for us. Good bye.

411
00:51:02,993 --> 00:51:04,061
Bye.

412
00:51:21,711 --> 00:51:23,346
Khanaser road was a sniper’s target, 

413
00:51:23,346 --> 00:51:25,882
it gets hit by missiles and it was subject to an attack at any moment

414
00:51:25,882 --> 00:51:27,517
and at any moment the road could have been blocked.

415
00:51:27,517 --> 00:51:29,352
It was the death road.

416
00:51:29,352 --> 00:51:31,321
Our hearts were in our throats from fear.

417
00:51:48,271 --> 00:51:50,640
Guys, from here we have to be very watchful,

418
00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:52,642
there are snipers on each side of the road,

419
00:51:52,642 --> 00:51:56,246
we should speed up and be careful, ok?

420
00:51:56,246 --> 00:51:58,315
Yes sir, copy.

421
00:52:01,918 --> 00:52:07,124
In fact, the most difficult problem was that on the road from Aleppo to Damascus,

422
00:52:07,124 --> 00:52:16,299
 many places had no cell phone coverage, so we were feeling lost.

423
00:53:39,916 --> 00:53:44,087
All we could do was pray that trucks would arrive safely.

424
00:53:44,087 --> 00:53:46,423
If they are lost, the history of Syria is lost.

425
00:53:54,531 --> 00:53:57,667
The trip from Aleppo to Damascus took around 12 hours,

426
00:53:57,667 --> 00:54:00,103
and we got there a little after Iftar time.

427
00:54:15,285 --> 00:54:19,623
When i was informed that the artifacts had arrived to a relatively safe place

428
00:54:19,623 --> 00:54:27,330
I felt joy as if a heavy weight had been lifted off our shoulders.

429
00:54:27,330 --> 00:54:39,209
On that day 07.13.2015, I experienced a very special feeling that I never felt before.

430
00:54:39,209 --> 00:54:45,982
You can’t imagine the joy of the entire staff when the artifacts arrived in Damascus.

431
00:54:45,982 --> 00:54:48,618
Get closer to each other. One...

432
00:54:49,286 --> 00:54:50,620
Get closer

433
00:54:50,620 --> 00:54:52,155
...two...

434
00:54:52,155 --> 00:54:52,856
...three

435
00:55:15,378 --> 00:55:21,951
Working with the team of archaeologists had a deep human impact on me.

436
00:55:21,951 --> 00:55:25,855
 They treated the objects as living things, as if they were their own children

437
00:55:25,855 --> 00:55:31,928
they were so protective of them, they packed them in their boxes with such care.

438
00:55:31,928 --> 00:55:34,664
These objects were more precious than their lives.

439
00:55:34,664 --> 00:55:39,736
The artifacts represent for me personally... 

440
00:55:41,504 --> 00:55:45,508
...a part of my soul, my history, the history of my country.

441
00:55:45,508 --> 00:55:47,677
These are not just stones.

442
00:55:47,677 --> 00:56:00,990
These are our identity, our history, civilization. They are us, us humans.

443
00:56:00,990 --> 00:56:06,896
They represent the mosaic of our common history.

444
00:56:37,627 --> 00:56:47,170
In the beginning of 2017, I was appointed the director of the Syrian museums in the DGAM. 

445
00:56:47,170 --> 00:56:51,741
The director of empty museums...

446
00:57:11,961 --> 00:57:15,598
After the cannons and rifles stopped shooting

447
00:57:17,500 --> 00:57:20,470
and we were able to again reach the National Museum in Aleppo

448
00:57:20,470 --> 00:57:23,673
there was a kind of silence among my colleagues.

449
00:57:23,673 --> 00:57:28,077
Some looked like they wanted to cry but were too shy to show their tears,

450
00:57:28,077 --> 00:57:30,580
maybe I was one of those.

451
00:57:34,384 --> 00:57:38,922
I felt as if it was deserted for hundreds of thousands of years.

452
00:57:54,637 --> 00:58:00,677
The fact that the museum of Aleppo is still standing, is a miracle.

453
00:58:00,677 --> 00:58:11,154
It’s heart wrenching to see this now empty museum that used to be flooded with visitors,

454
00:58:11,154 --> 00:58:16,192
students, Syrians and foreign visitors.

455
00:58:16,192 --> 00:58:22,799
The Aleppo National Museum, this rich museum has reached this point.

456
00:58:22,799 --> 00:58:29,839
When I was first employed in 2013, my task was to empty the museum.

457
00:58:29,839 --> 00:58:36,980
It was very difficult because we practically lived in this place

458
00:58:36,980 --> 00:58:41,417
and it felt as we are leaving our home.

459
00:58:41,417 --> 00:58:47,557
When i first started university, I came here and I was young, I was 17 years old

460
00:58:47,557 --> 00:58:50,627
and I lived many experiences here as a volunteer.

461
00:58:50,627 --> 00:58:57,567
The museums are cultural centers that teach generations about their past,

462
00:58:57,567 --> 00:59:03,773
their identity, about the significance of their history and their future.

463
00:59:03,773 --> 00:59:12,715
They can bring together people of all kinds and differences which are fused together

464
00:59:12,715 --> 00:59:22,358
through the education provided by museums and archaeological sites.

465
00:59:47,717 --> 00:59:53,456
As you know, we asked you to come to the Damascus Museum

466
00:59:53,456 --> 00:59:58,227
to open the boxes, photograph the objects and document them

467
00:59:58,227 --> 01:00:03,266
because we need to send them back to you for the reopening of Aleppo Museum.

468
01:00:03,266 --> 01:00:09,739
It was decided that some of the exhibition halls will reopen in the Aleppo museum.

469
01:00:09,739 --> 01:00:12,642
They were going to be restored

470
01:00:12,642 --> 01:00:15,511
and brought back to life after several years of closure.

471
01:00:15,511 --> 01:00:18,114
The re-opening of Aleppo’s national museum

472
01:00:18,114 --> 01:00:24,754
is like re-opening a new window to the Syrian culture, heritage and civilization.

473
01:00:24,754 --> 01:00:32,729
The re-opening of the museum of Aleppo is a message of peace to all Syrians,

474
01:00:32,729 --> 01:00:40,903
here and abroad, because the museum is like a home for all Syrians.

475
01:01:39,896 --> 01:01:45,168
It was a great feeling to see these artifacts again which we packed a long time ago.

476
01:01:45,168 --> 01:01:52,075
That’s like the happy ending of a fairy tale, to finally see them.

477
01:04:35,805 --> 01:04:41,677
The museum is not my work place, it is beyond that.

478
01:04:41,677 --> 01:04:46,816
28 letters in the Arabic language, put together in all possible ways, 

479
01:04:46,816 --> 01:04:50,286
cannot express what the museum means to me.

480
01:04:57,693 --> 01:05:01,097
The value of these objects is of a moral nature. 

481
01:05:03,566 --> 01:05:08,604
It tells the story of people, of a civilization, 

482
01:05:08,604 --> 01:05:13,276
how it began, how it evolved, and how it was constructed. 

483
01:05:13,276 --> 01:05:19,582
They are priceless, and very valuable and precious. 

484
01:05:19,582 --> 01:05:24,887
No matter how much you try to determine their value, you will fall short.

485
01:05:27,189 --> 01:05:30,126
We are not defending the objects as materials,

486
01:05:30,126 --> 01:05:33,029
we are defending the spirits of the ancestors who made them 

487
01:05:33,029 --> 01:05:38,301
and all the history and art they hold within.

488
01:06:18,207 --> 01:06:20,977
I can only breathe when I am in the museum.

489
01:06:20,977 --> 01:06:23,079
My soul lives in the museum,

490
01:06:23,079 --> 01:06:29,385
I am not exaggerating when I say that this is where I find myself. 

491
01:06:36,492 --> 01:06:40,463
 I wish I was younger so I can continue working here.

492
01:07:48,297 --> 01:07:50,900
And now to the city of Aleppo, 

493
01:07:50,900 --> 01:07:54,603
where today is the reopening of Aleppo’s museum after closing it for 7 years,

494
01:07:54,603 --> 01:07:56,639
and rehabilitating a large part of it.

495
01:07:56,639 --> 01:08:02,912
Dima could you give us more details, and highlight the museum with a tour, please?

496
01:08:04,046 --> 01:08:06,682
As we said minutes ago, 

497
01:08:06,682 --> 01:08:13,756
this museum opened its doors after seven years of closing them 

498
01:08:13,756 --> 01:08:18,928
and after being completely evacuated of its belongings 

499
01:08:18,928 --> 01:08:22,731
from objects and artifacts that were present here.

500
01:08:22,731 --> 01:08:27,837
We’re going to take the Al Mayadeen camera inside, 

501
01:08:27,837 --> 01:08:31,907
to document the artifacts that have been brought back to this museum

502
01:08:31,907 --> 01:08:36,011
 after 7 years and the rehabilitation

503
01:08:36,011 --> 01:08:44,153
 of a large part of this museum to contain these 1000 artifacts. 

504
01:08:44,153 --> 01:08:48,657
This museum used to contain 24,000 artifacts such as tablets, 

505
01:08:48,657 --> 01:08:58,868
finds and artifacts present in Syria that documented the country’s successive civilizations

506
01:08:58,868 --> 01:09:05,007
on the Syrian land since the Greek civilization all the way

507
01:09:05,007 --> 01:09:12,114
to the rest of the successive civilizations on this land.

508
01:09:17,753 --> 01:09:23,092
What makes an employee care so much about this and jeopardize their life,

509
01:09:23,092 --> 01:09:29,198
and maybe their family’s life, 

510
01:09:29,198 --> 01:09:33,636
and do this work in this dangerous situation under bombing

511
01:09:33,636 --> 01:09:37,806
and bullets to protect these belongings?

512
01:09:37,806 --> 01:09:40,676
These belongings are not ours personally, 

513
01:09:40,676 --> 01:09:43,212
they belong to all of Syria, and even the entire world, 

514
01:09:43,212 --> 01:09:45,014
because they represent a civilization.

515
01:09:45,014 --> 01:09:50,386
If we didn’t do this... we were employees here, it was our job and duty to do it.

516
01:09:51,020 --> 01:09:54,123
We didn’t think of saving our own lives.

517
01:09:54,123 --> 01:09:58,260
We thought about saving them, because they are irreplaceable.