Heritage experts, antiquities officials, and Syrian community members convened at a conference organized by the University of Lausanne and the Aliph foundation in Switzerland, marking the first comprehensive international meeting on Palmyra since the fall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in 2024. The group issued recommendations including the creation of an international expert task force to work toward removing Palmyra from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger, and outlined three key priorities: rehabilitating the looted and damaged Palmyra museum, restoring artefacts currently held at the Damascus Museum, and repairing the foot bridge to the site. Aliph executive director Valery Freland aims to begin work in January 2026.
This meeting matters because Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and symbol of cultural crossroads and resilience, suffered extensive destruction by ISIS in 2015-2016, including the demolition of the Temple of Bel, Temple of Baalshamin, and Arch of Triumph. The rehabilitation effort faces significant challenges—limited security, unexploded ordnance, and gaps in documentation—but also presents an opportunity to reconnect the ancient site with the nearby modern city through cultural and environmental tourism. The conference signals renewed international mobilization after years of conflict and sanctions, with local community involvement seen as essential to the site's recovery.