In 2009, I visited Syria and during the course of several weeks recorded much of the country’s incomparable architectural and archaeological heritage.
From Hellenistic and Roman ruins to Ottoman caravansarais, from medieval souks to Crusader castles, from early Christian pilgrimage sites to great Abbasid and Ummayad mosques, I photographed a rich and remarkable array of sites, all still in use by local populations. Just months after my return to the U.S., the Syrian Civil War broke out.
Since then, many of these magnificent structures, hundreds and even thousands of years old, have been severely damaged or destroyed.
