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Digital map seeks to document 'trail of destruction' of Mideast antiquities

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Thismap on the Antiquities Coalition website shows areas where archaeological sitesand cultural treasures are under threat in the Middle East. (photoby The Antiquities Coalition)

Digitalmap seeks to document 'trail of destruction' of Mideast antiquities

OnJan. 28, 2011, as anti-regime protesters clashed with riot police in andaround Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square, forcing police to withdraw from thestreets, looters took advantage of the security vacuum to break into the nearbyEgyptian Museum. They reportedly ransacked the ticket office, raided themuseum shop for jewelry and snatched valuable artifacts fromdisplay cases.

SUMMARY PRINTGovernment and nonprofit organizations are working together to mitigate thethreats that the Islamic State, looters and others pose to Middle East antiquities.

AUTHORShahira Amin

POSTEDJune26, 2016

digital map that helps identify#CultureUnderThreat by showing the trail of destruction left behind byIS and its sympathizers, and illustrating where deliberate attacks onheritage are occurring and the sites under threat.

“Asthe Middle East fell further into conflict, we wanted to visualize thevast range of threats to some of the world’s oldest cultural heritage. Aninteractive map proved the best way to show the true reach and depth of theproblem,” Paul told Al-Monitor.

Todemonstrate the connections between terror groups and threats to culturalheritage, the map includes several layers, the primary layer beingincidents of deliberate destruction by violent extremist organizations fromJanuary 2011 (the Arab Spring) to May 2016. While previous static maps hadmerely illustrated the five years of destruction, the new Smart M.App allowsusers to visually discern what destruction has taken place at what period.Using the timeline and graphing tools of the Smart M.App, researchershave been able to pinpoint which groups engage in looting and destructionon a country-by-country basis. Moreover, they have identified patterns in thegroups’ activities that can help determine potentially imperiled sites.

Theinteractive map reveals that while IS dominates the destruction in Iraq and Syria, it isnot the only extremist group carrying out such crimes. Groups such as al-Qaedahave increased their use of this method of destruction over the past year inplaces such as Yemen. 

All ofthe data used for the map is compiled from open-source information, which comesfrom monitoring groups such as the ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives, socialmedia, the international press and local media in the Middle East.

“Wechose this type of data set so that we would not be creating a road map tosites that may not be known to the public or to groups that would threatenthem,” Paul said. “The Antiquities Coalition incollaboration with groups like Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East andNorth Africa continually monitors these sources of information to keep the dataup to date.”

TheSmart M.App has helped raise awareness about the extent of the destructionamong the broader public, drawing significant attention to the problem fromoutside of the heritage community. It has also been used as ateaching tool in university classes to illustrate the connections betweenterror groups and threats to cultural heritage.

“Becauseit is easily accessible to the public, it serves as a valuable resource foranyone anywhere to use as a means of understanding threats to the heritage ofthe [Middle East and North Africa] region,” Paul said.

Understandingthe threats to the region’s cultural heritage is an important step topreserving the past for future generations. Stringent policies areneeded to curb the trade in illicit antiquities.

“Aslong as there is demand for the stolen antiquities, the illicit trade will notstop,” Hanna warned. “The collectors who create the demand have more dirt ontheir hands than the looters that are digging.”