Citizen Khaled Abdul Halim from the city of Raqqa handed over a collection of antiquities he had preserved since 2014 to the Raqqa Museum, to return to the custody of the Department of Antiquities with a view to including them in the museum's collection and future exhibits. This came as a step reflecting awareness of the importance of safeguarding national heritage and protecting the cultural memory of the governorate.
Abdul Halim clarified in a statement to a SANA correspondent today, Thursday, that he took the initiative after the return of state institutions to the Raqqa governorate to hand over the pieces to the city museum, noting that he had taken care throughout the past years to protect them and pack them carefully, based on his belief that they represent part of his country's history and cultural identity.
For his part, Jabbar Abdullah, head of the Raqqa Department of Antiquities, clarified that Abdul Halim handed over eight diverse antiquities, in addition to two crowns made of limestone, one of which is likely recent, to be verified later. Abdullah pointed out the importance these pieces hold for the Raqqa Museum and the Department of Antiquities, due to their return to the custody of the competent authorities.
He added that these pieces will become part of the exhibits being prepared for the museum's opening, to form a destination for students, visitors, and tourists, and a space for introducing the governorate's history and cultural heritage. Abdullah called on citizens to hand over any antiquities or historical collections in their possession to the competent authorities, emphasizing that preserving them is a shared national responsibility.
It is worth noting that residents from the city of Mara in northern Aleppo handed over two antiquities to the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums of Aleppo on the 12th of this month, after the family of martyr Mustafa Farrah and his wife had kept them safe from destruction and theft for nearly ten years. Also, last September, the Ministry of Culture launched an initiative to enhance community partnership in protecting Syrian antiquities, which encourages citizens to hand over any antiquities they find to the competent authorities and to honor those who take the initiative.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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