Archaeologists rescued roughly 30,000 priceless artifacts from Deir ez-Zor before ISIS takeover

A study published in Museum Management and Curatorship reveals that archaeologists rescued roughly 30,000 priceless artifacts from the Deir ez-Zor Museum just before ISIS captured the Syrian city in 2014-15. The operation, overseen by Maamoun Abdulkarim, who heads Syria's Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, formed part of a larger campaign that relocated about 300,000 museum objects throughout the country. The rescued collection spanned millennia and featured ancient statues, jewelry and cuneiform tablets, many originating from renowned Mesopotamian sites like Halaf, Dura-Europos and Mari.

Abdulkarim argues that such rescues demand more than logistics; they require swift institutional decisions, trust and adaptability amid active hostilities. He notes that the museum’s narrow corridor to a nearby military airport made the extraction especially perilous. The study underscores that heritage protection in war hinges on timely action, not just the items saved.