s h i r ī n: What Place for Archaeology and Archaeologists during Wartime?

Abstract

s h i r ī n is an initiative by the global community of scholars active in the fields of archaeology, art and history of the Ancient Near East. It brings together a significant proportion of the international research groups that were working in Syria prior to 2011, with the purpose of making their expertise available to heritage protection efforts. It seeks to represent the broad sweep of archaeological and historical research in Syria. s h r ī n collects informationon damage resulting from the current conflict and identifies those cases in which emergency repairs or protective actionmay be required. s h r ī n also collaborates on the creation of comprehensive databases of elements of Syrian heritage(for example, sites and museum catalogues). By involving the international research community now, s h r ī n intends that this capability will be fully formed and thus ready to support the local authorities and communities when the emphasis shifts from safeguarding and the documentation of damage towards restoration and reconstruction.