REVERSING THE
DESTRUCTION OF WAR

We believe that Syria’s incredible heritage is a powerful agent in fostering reconciliation across sectarian and religious divides. By protecting these sites, we are fighting the destructive forces of looting and identity erasure. And by making these sites safe and open to visitors we can remind everyone that humans achieve more when we collaborate and share ideas.

Two female White Helmets smiling at the camera, standing among ruins of an ancient site with columns and rubble in the background.

“I joined the White Helmets to save the souls of my people, and we performed that mission as best we could. But everyone is tired of war, and we embrace this new task. Our history is part of our identity and we need it saved.”

Don McCullin with a camera around his neck and another in his hand stands among ancient ruins with broken columns in the background. 
Don McCullin on his last trip to Palmyra.
Black and white photo of ancient ruins with tall columns, people walking and standing around, and a person riding a horse in the foreground 
Colonnade and amphitheatre at sunset.
Black and white photo of an ancient stone structure with arched doorways, metal gates, and children sitting on the stone remains at the top of the structure. 
Guarding the gate.
Ancient stone ruins with arches against a clear sky, black and white photo. 
Arches.
Two White Helmets standing amidst ancient ruins in a desert, with one holding a helmet, both wearing protective vests and gear, under a clear sky. 
White Helmets gear-up for removing unexploded munitions from the Temple of Bel.
Two people walking among ancient stone ruins with tall columns, under a partly cloudy sky. 
Don and Anthony walk down the main colonnade.
Ancient ruins with tall columns in a desert landscape under clear sky. 
Wide shot of Palmyra, looking west.
Group of people sitting and standing on a stone wall in front of ancient ruins with tall columns, people in the background, under a clear sky. 
Friday afternoon narghile smoke drifts amongst the ruins.
Ancient stone ruins with tall columns in a desert landscape under a clear sky. 
"It's lovely and fantastic and unbelievable, with all the theatrical implausability of a dream." Agatha Christie.
A grayscale photograph of an ancient ruin with tall columns, some fallen, in a desert landscape. Several tourists are exploring, taking photos, and sitting, with hills in the background and shadows cast on the ground. 
Don on the main colonnade. His passion for Palmyra and knowledge about the site were breathtaking.
Ancient ruins with a long row of stone columns at sunset, with people sitting and walking among the rubble. 
“The appearance of the green palm grove and the white colonnade, an immense vestige of a vanished world, is a surprise of which one never grows tired.” Paul Veyne.