Expired December 20, 2022 9:45 PM
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As the Syrian civil war rages around them, a small group of archaeologists, museum curators and attendants struggle to preserve the antiquities at the Aleppo National Museum. For years, these women and men would bid farewell to their families every morning before heading to the museum under a hail of shells and dodging sniper fire. They often slept on the museum floor for several days to accomplish their mission. Without electricity, water, or other means, they emptied the showcases, packed antiques with pieces of clothing, dismantled false ceilings to protect them in makeshift boxes, and built concrete walls to hide the ancient statues from looters.

 

In 2015, the Museum was again surrounded by conflict and the risk of these treasures disappearing became greater with each passing day. How does one evacuate 50,000 artifacts in a besieged city? In a race against time, nothing is guaranteed, nothing is certain. There was only one certainty though, that if the Museum’s collections are lost, a whole segment of human history will disappear forever with them.

  • Runtime
    73 minutes
  • Country
    Andorra
  • Director
    OLIVIER BOURGEOIS