By Bernhard Kirschner
Youssef Kanjou is committed to rescuing archaeological sites in Syria. The former director of the National Museum of Aleppo fled the war in his home country in 2013 and now lives with his family near Tübingen.
Many archaeological sites and buildings in Syria have been destroyed, damaged, or are under threat. Following the fall of the Assad regime, there is now an opportunity to save the cultural heritage with international help. Youssef Kanjou, an employee at tuenews INTERNATIONAL, wants to contribute to this effort.
Removal of mines and other explosive ordnance
In many places, mines are buried and unexploded grenades or ammunition remnants remain. The archaeologist and his colleagues aim to remove these as quickly as possible. Continuing the excavations is currently unthinkable. “But above all, it’s about the safety of the children who often play there,” Kanjou says with concern.
Pilot project with drones
That is why the 53-year-old, with the support of colleagues at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences (HTW) and the Gerda Henkel Foundation, has launched a pilot project using drones. They will systematically fly over the site and take photographs. The images will be fed into a database and evaluated. The resulting three-dimensional model will enable experts to locate and remove the explosive ordnance. In addition, the archaeological sites and buildings will be digitally documented and recorded in a nationwide database.
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Drone workshop in Aleppo
A week-long workshop was held in Aleppo in May. A German trainer from HTW trained employees of the National Museum of Aleppo, the Antiquities Department in Damascus, and members of the private civil defense organization “White Helmets.” They were familiarized with flying a drone and collecting and evaluating data. After the theoretical instruction, they practiced flying the drone at the citadel of Aleppo. The area was systematically flown over and photographed. Afterwards, they went to Tell Al-Iss, a hill near Aleppo that was already inhabited in the Bronze Age and the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods.
Archaeological site fiercely contested
The site was of strategic importance during the war. The military had leveled the terrain and built ramparts. It was heavily fought over, Kanjou knows. That is why remnants of ammunition are suspected there. Nothing has been found so far, but the drone images are still being evaluated. If anything is found, specialists will be called in to remove the ordnance, according to the plan.
Funding sought for drone project
“We are very satisfied with how the pilot project is going. It’s a useful thing,” says the 53-year-old archaeologist, giving a positive assessment. Everyone got on well with the equipment. There is great interest from other archaeological teams in Syria. Even a delegation from the German embassy in Damascus stopped by briefly, Kanjou says. He would like to expand the drone project to other archaeological sites in Syria and is looking for financial backers in Germany. This is his next big challenge on the road to rebuilding his homeland.
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