Remembering Khaled al-Asaad, the Palmyra Archaeologist: Martyr of Our Valued Heritage
Two Martyrs and a Heritage Site In 2015, when ISIS took control of major parts of Syria, along with millions of people killed, one major casualty was the ancient ruins of Palmyra. As it became clear that the city was going into the hands of ISIS, Qassim Abdullah Yehya and Khaled al-Asaad, the custodians of the archaeological artefacts of the city, evacuated the city museum and shifted many of these valued objects of heritage to another location. When ISIS took over, these two archaeologists were in the city, as they wanted to protect the monuments of great historical value. They paid in their blood for that decision. Khaled al-Asaad was 82 years old, and Qassim Abdullah Yehya, 37, when their lives ended abruptly in a violent manner. When the ISIS fighters executed Asaad by decapitation, and as they hung his headless body from a traffic light post in Palmyra, the world mourned the loss of two selfless martyrs who made the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. A few days before the exec...
