Hoping to restore and protect Syrian heritage sites threatened by civil war and robbery, Japanese researchers say they are making arrangements to hold an international conference on the issue in Beirut, possibly in December.
They hope to bring together experts to share the results of surveys that were conducted before the civil war, on heritage sites such as Palmyra to determine the extent of damage.
Kiyohide Saito, head of the Japanese Society for West Asian Archaeology, proposed the conference and hopes to lure up to 200 experts from around the world to join hands with 30 to 40 Syrian archaeologists.
By sharing information on damage done to Syria's cultural heritage, including remains from the ancient Mesopotamian and Roman periods, Japanese researchers aim to provide guidelines for future restoration work, they said.