The Outlook Podcast Archive - Don’t call me the 'Indiana Jones' of Syria

Download Don’t call me the 'Indiana Jones' of Syria

As a teenager, Amr al-Azm aspired to be like Indiana Jones - but this fantastical Hollywood vision of archaeology was only fleeting, he grew up to fall in love with the real thing too. Amr is from Syria, a land scattered with incredible sites and monuments. But he watched in horror as his country descended into war and his ancient home became a modern battlefield. Priceless historic artefacts were bombed, defaced, plundered and lost forever. In response, Amr set up a network of frontline archaeologists - some of them former students and colleagues - risking their lives to protect what remains of Syria's cultural heritage. From Adnan, who secretly documented the antiquities smuggling trade run by the so-called Islamic State; to Abdul Rahman in rebel-held Idlib province, who guards the precious Roman mosaics in the Maara Museum from government airstrikes.

Picture: Amr al-Azm
Credit: Courtesy of Amr al-Azm

Presenter: Emily Webb
Producer: Maryam Maruf

Published on Thursday, 19th December 2019.

Available Podcasts from The Outlook Podcast Archive

Subscribe to The Outlook Podcast Archive

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the The Outlook Podcast Archive webpage.