ISIS had killed him by cutting off his head! Who is Khaled Assad?

Syrian archaeologist Khalid Esad is one of those who died for his cause in the Middle East geography, where blood and tears were not missing for centuries. The story of the passionate archaeologist who dedicated himself to the ancient city of Palmyra, known as the 'Bride of the Desert:

Khaled Mohamad al-Asaad (January 1932 – 18 August 2015) was a Syrian archaeologist and the head of antiquities at the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He held this position for over forty years. Al-Asaad was publicly beheaded by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on 18 August 2015, at the age of eighty-three.

People living in ancient times wandered and continued their lives in the streets of Palmyra, known as the 'Bride of the Desert' and located 215 kilometers northeast of Syria's capital Damascus. It is abandoned today and its past dates back to BC. The ancient city, which dates back to the 1st century B.C., was one of the most popular cities of its time due to its strategic importance as well as being the oldest ancient city in Syria. Many people lost their lives for a cause in this geography, where blood and tears were not lacking for centuries. One of these people was undoubtedly the Syrian archaeologist Khaled Esad.

TURNED INTO A CIVIL WAR IN A SHORT TIME

An important religious and commercial center in history, Palmyra, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1980, entered a terrifying process when the calendars showed 2015, one of the most serious destructions it will ever witness throughout its history. The wave of rebellion that started in Tunisia in the last days of 2010 began to shake the authoritarian regimes in North Africa and the Middle East one by one. It didn't take long for the process known as the 'Arab Spring' to reach Syria. The protests that started in Syria in early March 2011 quickly turned into a civil war.

THE 'CITY OF THE SUN' WAS AMONG THE DESTROYED PLACES

The Middle East was once again in a serious crisis. In the process of all these, developments that shook the world began to take place in Iraq, which still could not completely erase the traces of the US occupation. The terrorist organization DAESH had captured Mosul, one of the largest cities in the country, and was getting stronger. The terrorist organization, which was expanding the lands it seized with each passing day, had gained control over a significant part of Iraq and Syria.

By 2015, the terrorist organization DAESH had reached the Ancient City of Palmyra and caused serious destruction to many historical artifacts in the city, the Mosul Museum, and Hatra, which is known as the 'City of the Sun'. What happened would not be limited to these, but the killing of many people, especially the archaeologist Halid Esad, who devoted his life to Palmyra, would be witnessed.

HIS LIABILITY UNTIL RETIRED

So who was Khaled Assad? Khaled Assad, who was also born in Palmyra and known by his circle as very passionate about archeology and preserving cultural heritage, was appointed as the museum director in Palmyra in 1963 and was promoted to regional manager shortly after. Assad was responsible for preserving the city's antiquities until his retirement in 2003. Continuing his work after his retirement, the passionate archaeologist continued his studies on the ancient city until the terrorist organization DEASH took over Palmyra.

'EVEN IF THEY KILLED I WILL STAY HERE'

Halid Assad, who was trying to move the historical artifacts found in Palmyra to the Syrian capital Damascus, when the terrorist organization DAESH approached the ancient city, managed to remove some of the remains from the city before they were destroyed. After rescuing the artifacts, archaeologist Khaled Assad said, “I was born here and I will die here. I am Palmyrene. Even if they kill me, I will stay here.” He refused to leave the city.

THEY DID NOT LEAVE IT ON STONE

When the terrorist organization DAESH seized the ancient city in May 2015, Palmyra, which has a history of thousands of years, was in danger of being completely destroyed for the first time in history. After the capture of the city, the organization destroyed many historical artifacts in Palmyra and recorded these moments, and served them to the whole world on the internet.

The terrorist organization also used the ancient city as a 'death center', where many people were brutally murdered by Daesh militants. These massacres were recorded one by one, served on social media, and used as propaganda material.

REFUSED TO TALK, AND HE DEATH BY BEING DEFINITELY

Shortly after capturing the city, Daesh militants, who took Khalid Assad, known for his work in the ancient city, and his son Walid hostage together, questioned the duo for about a month in order to reveal the location of ancient treasures and lost historical artifacts they thought were hidden in the city. Known for his passion for Palmyra, Khaled Assad refused to speak during interrogations, which included violence and torture. Khaled Assad was beheaded on August 8, 2015, at the age of 83, in the Palmyra Museum square. Assad's head and body were hung on Roman columns in Palmyra and displayed for days.

'THEY WILL NEVER BE SILENCED'

The latest news about Khaled Assad came to the agenda at the beginning of 2021. In the news made by the Syrian official news agency, it was announced that one of the three bodies found in the north of Palmyra was thought to belong to Khalid Assad and the other to his son, and DNA tests would be carried out for identification.

The murder of Khalid Assad, who was passionately devoted to his profession and his native city of Palmyra throughout his 83-year life, was met with a reaction by all Syrians, whether pro-regime or opposition. For Khaled Esad, whose memory was decided to be kept alive, the words of Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO at the time, summarized the events. Pointing out that Assad's footprint in the world of archeology is undeniable, Bokova managed to convey everyone's feelings by saying, "DEAS killed a great person. But they will never silence history."