Deliberate reuse of sites
Some sites are damaged by their deliberate use and reuse. Although, at first glance, this may seem to be an issue of awareness, in many cases, those occupying sites are only too aware of their historic importance. A group occupied the historic Great Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, Syria, part of the World Heritage site, which damaged the site (before it was then heavily damaged in later fighting).
The deliberate military use of sites encompasses fortifications and trenches, military buildings, and planting landmines. The site of Carchemish in southern Turkey was mined in World War II: the mines were only removed in 2011. Sites are also reused by desperate refugees looking for shelter. There are numerous reports of the reoccupation of ancient tombs and villages built and abandoned more than a thousand years ago in Syria, for example. This reuse frequently heavily damages sites.
Mitigation: In the case of IDPs, desperation cannot be mitigated: all that we can do is remember the very human cost of war, and assist the delivery of aid wherever possible. However, in cases of deliberate, unnecessary, use, we can work to raise awareness of the protection granted to such sites by international law, as discussed above. A number of studies are now ongoing (watch this space!) to examine the types and extent of such damage, to better understand the cost and methods of mitigation. The armed forces, emergency responders, and heritage professionals all need to be aware of the risks posed by armed conflict, of the laws that protect it, and to prepare for it accordingly
The deliberate military use of sites encompasses fortifications and trenches, military buildings, and planting landmines. The site of Carchemish in southern Turkey was mined in World War II: the mines were only removed in 2011. Sites are also reused by desperate refugees looking for shelter. There are numerous reports of the reoccupation of ancient tombs and villages built and abandoned more than a thousand years ago in Syria, for example. This reuse frequently heavily damages sites.
Mitigation: In the case of IDPs, desperation cannot be mitigated: all that we can do is remember the very human cost of war, and assist the delivery of aid wherever possible. However, in cases of deliberate, unnecessary, use, we can work to raise awareness of the protection granted to such sites by international law, as discussed above. A number of studies are now ongoing (watch this space!) to examine the types and extent of such damage, to better understand the cost and methods of mitigation. The armed forces, emergency responders, and heritage professionals all need to be aware of the risks posed by armed conflict, of the laws that protect it, and to prepare for it accordingly
Read the NPR article on Syrian reoccupation of the ancient tombs in the Media Library of the BSI website (opens PDF).
See the UNOSAT satellite imagery analysis of damage to the Ancient Villages of Northern Syrian World Heritage on their website.
Read more about the protection granted to sites under international law in our Law Library.
See the UNOSAT satellite imagery analysis of damage to the Ancient Villages of Northern Syrian World Heritage on their website.
Read more about the protection granted to sites under international law in our Law Library.