Published On 7/7/2026
The Arab World Institute in Paris returned 23 Syrian artifacts, coinciding with President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Damascus, according to a statement by the Syrian General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums.
The directorate said that the pieces “were borrowed 15 years ago to participate in the permanent display that narrates the civilization of the Arab world, along with a diverse and distinct group of pieces from other Arab countries.”
In turn, the Syrian News Agency explained that the pieces arrived on board the French presidential plane, during the visit of President Macron, who was accompanied by an official delegation that included the head of the institute, to Damascus.
Unique antique pieces
According to a statement by the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities, “The collection includes unique pieces dating back to different time periods, from prehistoric times to Islamic times, including a statue of Lamji Mari from Tell al-Hariri/Mari, and a piece bearing Safaitic inscriptions.”
It also includes “part of a Palmyrene frieze representing a hunting trip, a bas-relief in the Palmyrene language, parts of colored frescoes from Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi in the Levant Desert, and a door insert engraved with floral inscriptions from Ja’bar Castle in Raqqa.”
The recovered collection also includes “an antiquity from the Safaitic civilization, represented by a basalt pebble bearing Safaitic inscription from the Safa region, dating back to the second and third centuries AD, in addition to antiquities from the Byzantine Christian heritage, including a column capital decorated with a cross from Homs dating back to the fifth and sixth centuries AD, and an amulet of Mar Simeon the Stylite made of pottery.”
Islamic antiquities
The recovered Islamic antiquities, according to the Syrian News Agency, include “a fragment of the mosaic of the Great Umayyad Mosque in Damascus dated 710 AD, a small statue of a crowned woman, a statue of a bearded man, and two fragments of the murals of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi.”
It also includes “an Abbasid panel decorated with grape clusters from Raqqa, a carved wooden panel from Ja’bar Castle dating back to the ninth and tenth centuries AD, and a marble decorative element bearing a Mamluk emblem dating back to about 1472 AD.”
The directorate indicated that the return of the pieces was scheduled for 2014, explaining that the war conditions in Syria prevented this, as the previous regime failed to restore them, and the French authorities also refrained from returning them due to the war and the lack of security and appropriate preservation conditions for them.
She believed that Macron’s choice to return the pieces in conjunction with his visit to Damascus confirms the cultural and civilizational depth of Syria, and the importance of restoring cultural relations that have been severed for 15 years.
She also stressed the importance of the file of recovering Syrian artifacts that left the country in various ways, and called on countries, concerned parties, and the local community to help complete this file, in order to preserve the Syrian identity and restore its cultural treasures.
On Monday evening, Macron arrived in Damascus in the first visit by a European leader since the fall of the Assad regime, and he was received by Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani.
Immediately upon his arrival in Damascus, the French President posted on his account on the “X” platform: “I came to confirm France’s commitment to standing by the Syrian people for the sake of a sovereign, united and pluralistic Syria that enjoys peace with its neighbors.”
