When French President Emmanuel Macron decided to pop over to Damascus recently, he wasn't just there to talk about rebuilding banks or reclaiming a cool $50 million from a former regime. Oh no. He also played delivery driver for 23 very old, very important pieces of Syrian history.
Because apparently, that's where we are now: international diplomacy involving priceless artifacts getting VIP treatment on a presidential plane. The items, which had been chilling in France for 15 years after a Parisian exhibition, finally made their grand return.
History's Grand Entrance
These aren't just any old knick-knacks. We're talking about objects that span an incredible timeline, from 9000 BCE all the way to the 14th and 15th centuries AD. They originally hailed from various Syrian museums across Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia, and Palmyra. Macron personally handed them over to Syria's National Museum, because nothing says "we're friends again" quite like a head of state chauffeuring ancient relics.
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Start Your News DetoxNow, a select few of these repatriated treasures are gracing the summer festival at the Damascus Citadel. For those keeping score, the citadel is a former military fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and has only recently reopened its gates to the public. So, quite the stage for a comeback.
Inside the citadel’s suitably grand Throne Hall, visitors can find funerary sculptures, relief objects, and other Roman artifacts. According to festival official Abdurrahman Amer, the exhibition is drawing crowds, many seeing the citadel for the first time. He noted the return of these historical items is sparking "great happiness and excitement" among Syrians. Which, if you think about it, is a pretty solid outcome for a bit of presidential cargo.
