Summary

Many of Syria’s famous heritage sites are in territory outside of the control of the Assad regime and are threatened by looting, damage as a result of conflict, and deliberate attack. The Day After – Heritage Protection Initiative TDA-HPI is currently engaged in the protection of cultural heritage in the areas of Syria that are at most risk.

Background and Activities

The Day After Association (TDA) is an independent, Syrian-led civil society organization working to support democratic transition in Syria. Recognising the importance of protecting Syria’s cultural heritage sites and collections from harm and the importance of preserving them as part of the efforts to help enhance a Syrian national identity and steer Syria on its path towards post conflict stabilization and reconciliation, TDA established the Heritage Protection Initiative TDA-HPI to help protect this cultural heritage as part of its portfolio of its activities.

TDA-HPI has the ability to reach a network of heritage professionals and civil society activists who are in areas outside of the control of the Assad regime and working in desperate conditions to protect museums, cultural heritage sites, and collections. TDA-HPI provides an organizational framework for addressing emergency preservation concerns among heritage professionals and activists inside Syria, providing training and supplies for emergency stabilization, collecting verified documentation on deliberate acts of cultural destruction for human rights groups, and advocating for heritage protection among the international community. TDA-HPI produces regular reports on the state of cultural heritage sites and monuments including rapid assessment and damage reports due to bombing, looting and other violations.

TDA-HPI established the Site Monitors Project in spring of 2015, a network of local archaeologists, museum curators and activists who act as site monitors. It supports the site monitors by providing training and technical expertise through its contacts with professionals and institutions. The Site Monitors work to:

• Document violations and looting of cultural heritage sites outside areas of regime control. This includes sites controlled by ISIS (Daish).
• Document war damage caused by the ongoing conflict.
• Track the sale and transport of looted antiquities.
• Implement small-scale intervention/preservation projects.

Partners

TDA-HPI Works with technical experts and representatives of institutions with the goal of enhancing the protection of Syria’s cultural heritage in large measure by empowering local Syrian communities. TDA-HPI is currently collaborating with ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives project. We share our reports with the ASOR initiative and has been implementing small scale mitigation projects with their support since 2016. TDA-HPI also works closely with the Syrian Heritage Centre, which is based in Syria in the province of Idlib and made up of local archaeologists and museum staff. TDA has collaborated in the past with the Penn Cultural Heritage Centre, and the Smithsonian. TDA-HPI has received Financial and technical support from ASOR, Antiquities Coalition, Prince Claus Fund, the Smithsonian Museum and UNESCO. For more information about TDA-HPI please visit http://hpi.tda-sy.org/en/

About The Day After (TDA)

The Day After project brought together a group of 45 Syrians representing a large spectrum of the Syrian opposition to participate in an independent transition planning process. In 2012, this group, supported by international experts in transition planning, convened six times to develop a shared vision of Syria’s democratic future and to prepare a transition planning document. The TDA report, “The Day After: Supporting a Democratic Transition in Syria”, provides a detailed framework of principles, goals and recommendations for addressing challenges in six key fields: rule of law; transitional justice; security sector reform; constitutional design; electoral system design; and post-conflict social and economic reconstruction. TDA has since transformed into an NGO, run by an all-Syrian Board of eight members, which aims to implement the recommendations presented in the TDA report. The Day After is an independent, Syrian-led civil society organization working to support a democratic transition in Syria. In addition to TDA’s six staff members in the Istanbul office, TDA has 24 staff members working in seven provinces inside Syria. For more information about TDA, please visit www.tda-sy.org