Russia’s famed Mariinsky orchestra held a concert amid the imposing columns of the the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Thursday.
The archaeological gem was severely damaged by Islamic State militants who overran the UNESCO-preserved site, destroying priceless ancient architecture and statues.
“In the music that you will hear today, you hear our pain and our memory,” conductor Valery Gergiev told the group of dozens that gathered in the amphitheater. “This concert in war-torn Palmyra is our appeal for peace.”
Palmyra contains the ruins of a city that was a cultural crossroads of the ancient world during the 1st and 2nd century. It’s architecture drew from Greco-Roman, Persian styles and local traditions to create a city unlike any other. Read more…
