09-05-2025
They joined White Helmets to save souls. Now they're saving history
The White Helmets, Syria's most renowned rescue organisation, have been tasked with protecting the country's cultural heritage from damage by looting, neglect, explosives and natural hazards.
Part of the Fertile Crescent, Syria's location at the juncture of three continents has bestowed it with one of the richest and most diverse archaeological legacies in the world, dating back more than 10,000 years to the earliest roots of civilisation. Much of that legacy, however, is under threat — menaced by the legacy of war, the natural environment and human actors.
Now, in a landmark agreement with the new government in Damascus, the White Helmets will begin a two-year mission to survey and safeguard sites of archaeological and cultural significance, including the citadel at Aleppo, the ruined city
