Ancient Syrian mosaics crumble under weight of war
The war in Syria has destroyed many of its ancient mosaics and threatens the craft of making them.
Syria is home to some of the oldest mosaics ever found. As far back as 1500 BC, artists in the region have used small pieces of colored stone, glass and shells to create large images of daily life, animals or complex geometric shapes.
After years of war, however, many of the country's ancient mosaics have been destroyed or looted. Contemporary mosaics, the work of Syrian craftsmen who struggle to keep up the craft of their grandfathers, find few if any buyers.
There are two types of Syrian mosaics, whose ancient tradition began with stonework. Today, little stones are still used to decorate pools, floors, large halls and mosques. Wooden mosaics are a more recent creation. The famous wooden mosaics of Syria are thought to go back 300 years, when mosaic makers also incorporated bones and shells. The modern wooden mosaics form rich geometric patterns with mother-of-pearl and ivory inlay.
Syria’s Maarrat al-Numan Museum, the largest mosaic museum in the Middle East, contains approximately 2,000 square meters (half an acre) of mosaics, mostly from the late Roman and Byzantine periods. The exhibits, reconstructed on the walls and floors, contain scenes of hunting and everyday life as well as geometric shapes. While the mosaics inside the museum are mostly intact, many external ones were damaged by airstrikes in 2015. Some remaining ones were moved to a warehouse for protection. In the nearby town of Taybat al-Imam, just northwest of Hama, a Byzantine-era mosaic that dates back to A.D. 442 was destroyed by the Syrian army.
