Khaled al-Asaad

Khaled al-Asaad was a Syrian archaeologist who dedicated his life to studying and protecting the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He was born in Palmyra in 1932 and graduated from the University of Damascus with a diploma in history. He became the principal custodian of the Palmyra site in 1963 and held this position for over 40 years. He collaborated with various international archaeological missions and organized exhibitions of Palmyran artifacts. He was also fluent in Aramaic and translated many texts from the ancient language. He retired in 2003, but continued to work with his son Walid, who succeeded him as the head of antiquities at Palmyra. In May 2015, the Islamic State (IS) captured Palmyra and threatened to destroy its historical monuments. Al-Asaad helped evacuate the city museum and hide many valuable relics before the IS takeover. He was then captured and tortured by the IS militants, who demanded him to reveal the location of the hidden treasures. He refused to cooperate and was publicly executed by beheading on 18 August 2015, at the age of 83. His body was then hung on a pole in the main square of Palmyra. Al-Asaad was widely mourned and praised by the international community for his courage and devotion to Palmyra. He received many honors and awards for his work, including the Order of Civil Merit of the Syrian Arab Republic, the National Order of Merit of France, the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, and the Order of Merit of the Republic of Tunisia. He was also nominated for the UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in 2016.