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Hungarian archaeologists among the last remaining team in war-torn Syria
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While civil war rages in Syria, a Syrian-Hungarian archaeological mission works tirelessly to restore the fortresses of the former Holy Land, the Krak des Chevaliers and Margat castles, so they can be opened to tourists again. The team has lost Syrian colleagues to the fighting, although their research is confined to an area where incidents are very rare, inforadio.hu writes.
“The two castles – Margat and Krak des Chevaliers – are located in the coastal region of Syria, and both of them were built by the Knights Hospitaller in the 12th and at the beginning of the 13th century, respectively. Margat and Krak des Chevaliers are among the biggest castles, there weren’t any fortresses in Europe in this era which could compare in size and detail. Margat castle is exceptionally abundant in archaeological finds, and no one has done any research here before,” said Balázs Major, expert in Arabic studies and lead archaeologist of the mission. He was also the recipient of the European Parliament’s European Citizens’ Prize this year.
He emphasized that the most important result in his opinion is a very cooperative team of Hungarian and Syrian colleagues.
“The first dig took place in 2007, and in the following years, around 130 Hungarian archaeologists have worked on the castle,” he said.
The last ones to stay
“We are the only team out of 150 international archaeological missions who didn’t leave,” said the archaeologist. “We told ourselves that, if we could enjoy the Syrians’ hospitality in peace time, then it’s our duty to support them during the hardships as well.”
“Especially since, contrary to popular belief, the majority of Syrians do not want to leave their country, but try to stay, to rebuild, and prepare for the future.”
“Those millions whose houses have been destroyed are waiting in the neighbouring countries or in the closest possible locations to return home. So it is only a small percentage of the population who left for Europe. We’re not the only optimists, many hope for a better future.”
Inconceivable damages
The scientist also talked about the immense amount of destruction the war has done and continues to do in Syria.
“The majority of the country is destroyed to a degree which is basically inconceivable for Europeans,” he said.
“More than 10 million people have become homeless. Most of them have sought refuge within Syria, including the areas where we work,” he said. It often goes unmentioned that there are refugee camps not only in Turkey, but in Syria as well, and these get almost no help at all, he added.
