Palmyra is an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site, located about 215km North East of Damascus. A significant trading centre on the old Silk Road, it has had a chequered history, destroyed twice in 273 and 1400. Most recently the settlement has been reduced to a village, but the archaeological site remains of great importance. It has suffered damage during the Syrian Civil War, particularly in 2015 when a number of buildings were deliberately detroyed and retired antiquities chief Khaled al-Asaad was tortured and killed by ISIS.
Photograph by Professor Amira Bennison