The destruction of ancient Roman remains at Palmyra, Syria, by members of so-called Islamic State was met with international condemnation. Now four major sites which were damaged, pillaged, or destroyed including Palmyra and Aleppo, Mosul (Iraq), and Leptis Magna (Libya) form the subject of new exhibition at the Arab World Institute in Paris.
Using digitisation techniques, visitors can take a virtual journey into the architectural riches of these cities and archaeological sites which are all symbols of the multicultural history of the civilisations of the Middle East. Giant screen projections reveal the current condition of the sites and also travel back in time through a virtual reconstruction of public buildings, homes, and archaeological vestiges. Complemented by documents, video accounts of residents and texts, the show spans thousands of years of history present in these cities, as well as the torments of their recent past.
Until February 10th at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France