To each war its share of anarchy, destruction and pillaging. The warlords even use this situation to make fast money, considering that when the authority of the state and the protecting bodies is weakened, the precious assets open all the appetites to theft and sabotage, especially when these assets are archeological monuments with great historical value. This was witnessed in numerous countries in the ancient world which abounded with such monuments, and rarely did a country deviate from this rule in times of war. As for the thief, he was either an occupying force or a greedy trader. For example, this was done by the Germans when they occupied Europe during World War II and by the smugglers in Egypt. In Iraq, the same was seen following the American occupation of the country and the collapse of the former regime, as treasures were pillaged from museums and archeological sites by organized international gangs via local agents and some occupation soldiers. In today's Syria, which is witnessing a violent and bloody domestic conflict, the targeting of archeological sites and museums is becoming a widespread phenomenon. And while parts of the destruction affecting them might be due to the nature of the armed confrontation and the military deployment of both sides of the conflict, and while some of the thefts are being carried out by gangs specializing in the pillaging of archeological monuments, much of the destruction was caused by the regular troops, without there being any military purpose for the targeting of these sites with heavy artillery, warplanes and firebombs. This is what characterizes the targeting of archeological monuments and sites in Syria, i.e. the fact that it is being conducted by the regular forces - as confirmed by all the testimonies on the field – in a methodic way and throughout the tense regions, from the North to the South and from the East to the West, namely in the political capital Damascus and the economic capital Aleppo. Hence, the targeting is exiting the context of military necessity and specialized gangs, and turning into a political targeting in the context of the great confrontation between the regime and its people. It is known that Syria witnessed the succession of numerous civilizations, from the ancient times to the Byzantine and Islamic times, all of which left their impact throughout the country. Their remnants testify for Syria's civilizational history, namely the longstanding coexistence between people from different origins. It is based on this history that the tolerant and pluralistic Syrian personality materialized, while the sites representing this civilization are definitely an addition to this personality, which is nowadays rebelling against tyranny. According to the official Syrian tale, history started with the assumption of power of the Baath Party, and particularly with the Corrective Movement and the late President Hafez al-Assad's arrival to the presidency. This is summarized by the slogan “our leader forever," which eliminates all that preceded and will follow it, including the historical memory that is based on the remnants of the numerous civilizations which passed through the country. In other words, this tale features a unilateralism limited to the Baath rule and contradicting anything pointing to richness, plurality and the tolerant Syrian character that wishes the instatement of a political system reflecting these qualities. Therefore, the destruction of the mosques and the churches with the people and the memories they embrace, and the annihilation of the historical markets and buildings that are part of the world's heritage, constitute a symbolic and actual retaliation against this personality which is expressed by the current revolution. This aims at annulling the roots from which it fed and at pushing it to adopt the official version of history, in parallel to the attempts to impose the current political vision for the solution, i.e. “Al-Assad or no one else." It is as though this letter of destruction is saying that the authority is proceeding with the killing of the Syrians and the destruction of their national memory to impose its own solutions.
