"Representatives of numerous international communities and many organizations, with UNESCO being the most prominent one, came to us. However, they have not provided any assistance thus far," he said, adding that these organizations have failed to meet their commitments.
The official urged UNESCO to encourage state and private organizations responsible for Syrian artefacts to make every effort to help the Department of Antiquities in its work. He also said that the department "has nearly finished assessing the damage inflicted" on the ancient city of Aleppo.
For its part, UNESCO said that it "remains fully engaged with Syrian antiquities officials and all its partners" when it comes to preserving Syrian heritage, indicating that this process will last for a long period of time. "The situation requires extreme vigilance and constant international cooperation at the highest level for the coming decades," the UN agency said in a press release.
The list of heritage sites that were damaged or destroyed in Aleppo in the last five years include al-Madina Souq, the largest covered historic market in the world, the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Citadel, deemed to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world.
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