The damage ISIS did in Palmyra, Syria, may take 5 years to repair

Syrian forces recaptured Palmyra from Islamic State militants Sunday, but getting the ancient city back in shape after nearly a year won't be an easy process, The Wall Street Journal reports. The terrorist group razed residential neighborhoods, damaged a 2,000-year-old temple and parts of another temple, and three ancient tombs.

Altogether, the damage should take about five years to repair, government antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim said Monday. But all things considered, he said he expected Palmyra to be even worse off.

"The panoramic view of Palmyra — the colonnades, the baths, the arches, and most of the temples — are surprisingly still intact," Abdulkarim said. "I expected the damage to be 20 times worse than this. After months of worrying, crying, I felt the best moments of happiness when I saw it was better than I expected."

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up