France returns 23 Syrian treasures after 15 years as Macron visits Damascus
The artifacts, flown back on Macron’s plane, include Roman bronze objects, Byzantine pieces and a mosaic panel from the Umayyad Mosque.
- On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Damascus, marking the first major Western leader visit since Bashar Assad's ouster in late 2024, and returned 23 Syrian archaeological treasures held in France for about 15 years.
- These artifacts were loaned in 2011 to Paris's Arab World Institute for an exhibition but remained in France after diplomatic ties were severed under Assad's rule, preventing their earlier return.
- For Maamoun Abdulkarim, former director-general of antiquities, the return closes a painful chapter; he faced interrogation by Assad's security forces and was "beaten and accused of being too lenient in protecting Syria's antiquities."
- The Syrian Foreign Ministry described France as the first nation to cooperate under a national campaign to recover antiquities held abroad, which Abdulkarim said sends a "positive message for the future."
- Thousands of Syrian artifacts remain scattered globally from the nearly 14-year conflict, and recovering them will require years of diplomatic work to return the items to Syria.
19 Articles
19 Articles
France returns 23 Syrian treasures after 15 years
DAMASCUS, Syria — France has finally returned 23 Syrian archaeological treasures that remained in the country for about 15 years after being loaned for an exhibition. Their return coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron’s landmark visit to Damascus
Santa Maria Times
Independent EspañolFrance Returns 23 Archaeological Treasures to Syria After 15 Years During Macron's Visit to Damascus
DAMASCO, Syria (AP) — France finally returned 23 Syrian archaeological treasures that remained in the European country for about 15 years after being loaned for an exhibition. Their return coincided with the historic visit to Damascus of the President...
France Returns Artifacts to Syria - Archaeology Magazine
DAMASCUS, SYRIA—According to a Türkiye Today report, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, handed over 23 artifacts to Ahmed Al-Charaa, president of Syria, during a meeting held at the Umayyad Mosque. Loaned to the Arab World Institute in Paris in 2011, the objects were scheduled to be returned in 2014, but the outbreak of civil war in Syria canceled those plans. The collection, including a section of a frieze from the ancient city of Palmyra, w…
France returns 23 Syrian treasures during Macron's landmark Damascus visit
France returned 23 Syrian artefacts to Damascus after they remained in Paris for 15 years following a 2011 exhibition loan. The handover during Emmanuel Macron's visit signals Syria's reopening and could aid wider heritage recovery.
(Paris=Yonhap News) Correspondent Song Jin-won = France has finally... 23 Syrian archaeological artifacts that it had kept in its own country for about 15 years after lending them for an exhibition to Syria...
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 36% of the sources lean Left, 36% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
