Mr. Shadi Adnan Aslim from Suwayda issued an urgent appeal following the looting of a heritage museum he had established in his home near the Omran Roundabout in Suwayda City. The looting took place during the terrorist attack on Suwayda Province in mid-July, carried out by General Security and Ministry of Defense forces of the de facto authority, along with allied tribal militias. At that time, Suwayda witnessed systematic looting of homes, shops, cars, farms, livestock, and anything of value.

Aslim stated that part of the stolen collection, which includes rare heritage artifacts from the Ottoman and French eras, has been traced to Hama and Aleppo. He described the museum as a world-class artistic showcase reflecting centuries of ancestral history. Some traders reportedly purchased the stolen items from looters for approximately $16,000 and are currently holding them, demanding reimbursement before returning them to their rightful owner in Suwayda.

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Aslim emphasized that the museum was not a private collection, but a collective heritage, representing Suwayda’s cultural memory. It contained valuable artifacts linked to leaders of the Great Syrian Revolt, including Dhouqan al-Atrash, Abu Ghaleb Zeid, Abu Ali Mustafa al-Atrash, Mohammad Bek Kiwan, and Pasha Hamza Darwish.

He appealed to the UN Office for Cultural Heritage Protection and international human rights and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to safeguard these items, describing them as part of humanity’s shared heritage, not mere personal property.

Aslim also called on Syrian expatriates and the Druze community, particularly those with financial means, to help recover these rare pieces, warning that any delay would mean an irreplaceable historical loss and that the artifacts are at risk of being lost or smuggled if immediate action is not taken.

He concluded:

“Protecting this heritage is a human and international duty. Any negligence or delay is complicity in erasing the identity and history of an entire community.”

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