broken memories

"Cultural heritage represents the identity of a community: it comes from the past, lives in the present, and is passed on to future generations" (Youssef Kanjou, 2014).
Syria has been undergoing significant devastation of its cultural heritage since the beginning of the conflict in 2011. In addition to the high cost that the population is paying in terms of human lives, the conflict has also led to the destruction of numerous archaeological sites, such as the ancient cities of Palmyra and Bosra. The Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, one of the most important in the Middle East, has been severely damaged by bombings.
The destruction of physical cultural heritage has a dramatic effect on human communities. The bond between the two elements is extremely close. Without communities, there is no heritage, and cultural assets play a central role in the construction of collective memory and identity. Every broken stone is a deep wound in the heart of humanity.

Original photos from 2007; manipulated and re-photographed in 2020