Meet the historians, archaeologists, and Syrian civilians risking their lives for a piece of world heritage in Palmyra.
Nicknamed the “Monuments Men” for their similarity to soldiers and civilians during World War II who hid precious artworks from the invading Nazi forces in Europe, Al-Azm and his group, The Day After (TDA-HPI), have fortified and safeguarded much of their nation’s history from both the barrel bombs of the regime and the homemade brutality of ISIS, by evacuating and hiding it.
Al-Azm’s associates also used a method called sandbagging on a number of museums to protect precious artifacts from the surrounding war. Sandbagging in this case involves barricading the perimeter of vaults, rooms, and entire museum perimeters with sandbags, allowing the sand to absorb the shock of almost any explosion except a direct blast. In the event the sandbags themselves blow up, they serve a second purpose: to cover their cargo in a thick layer of dust, shielding it from invading looters,Mother Jones reported.
