Russia presses soft power in Syria by restoring Palmyra, Apamea
Russia is promoting its archaeological and historical restoration projects in Syria, as it tries to expand its influence in Syria by dominating the Syrian antiquities sector.
ALEPPO, Syria — A number of scientists and experts from Russia have created a digital model for the ancient city of Apamea and its churches in a move seemingly aimed at expanding and dominating the antiquities sector in Syria.
Apamea is located in the northwestern countryside of Hama province in central Syria.
On June 15, the Russian TV Zvezda channel published a video that showed how Russian scientists from the Institute for the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences prepared a digital model of the ancient city of Apamea and its churches. The report quoted Jegor Blochin, a researcher at the institute, as saying that the Russian scientists used remote sensing techniques inside the soil to create the city model.
Apamea was founded in 301 B.C., and was considered one of the most important cities in northern Syria during the Seleucid Empire, according to UNESCO.
