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Palmyra, with its 2000-year history, has always been the most popular tourist destination in Syria. Walking along the Great Colonnade to Bel Temple at sunset, when the stones are covered with rose gold in the light of the desert, one could sweep through the centuries and see this thriving city in all its splendor.
When ISIS (the Islamic State group is banned in Russia) took over Palmyra and destroyed some of the most precious treasures of this ancient city, the world was horrified. But here's a surprise: now in Trafalgar Square in London rises a magnificent 3D-printed copy of the Arc de Triomphe from the Temple of Bel, the original of which was razed by the invaders.
It turns out that when ISIS fighters marched into the city, the Institute of Digital Archeology (IDA), along with UNESCO, donated 3D cameras to several volunteers in Palmyra. They guessed that ISIS would try to destroy most of Palmyra's historical heritage, as happened in 2001 in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, where the Taliban destroyed Buddha statues dating back to the 6th century AD.
The most famous example of the rebuilding of an entire city is undoubtedly the revival of Warsaw after the Second World War. In 1945, more than 90% of the city's buildings were destroyed. The Warsaw authorities decided to revive it as it was in its “golden era” at the end of the 18th century. This is why they did not use historical plans and drawings, but paintings by the Venetian artist Bernardo Bellotto.
Belloto liked to embellish reality: he corrected the church there, removed the facade here. But it was precisely his idealized vision that the architects liked and formed the basis of the new Warsaw. As numerous tourists can see, the results exceeded all expectations, and today this city is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful in Europe.
Palmyra will be rebuilding slowly and not from pictures, but from files of the Million Image Database, collected by grain by the IDA with financial support from the University of Oxford Physics. Based on photographs taken by volunteers, IDA was able to create a digital model of the structure. A physical replica of the arch was made from artificial stone, after which its surface was dotted with notches using 3D-carving technology.
The availability of 3D modeling software allows the people of Syria to rebuild their country on their own, without waiting for help from outside organizations. For example, the NewPalmyra project, launched by the Palestinian-Syrian software developer Bassel Hartabil. Within its framework, a database of 3D models was created, open to everyone.
“Our goal is to create and share,” says Barry Trew, one of the project's contributors. “Instead of spending resources on rebuilding the arch that now stands in Trafalgar Square, it’s better to spend them on creating 3D models that anyone can download and print on their 3D printer.”
As for the Arc de Triomphe, it will go to New York and Dubai, and by autumn it will be delivered to Palmyra and installed in its original place. The Syrian government hopes to restore everything that ISIS fighters destroyed in less than five years. Great plans, but there is one big "but". Rebuilding cultural heritage in a country torn apart by civil war and humanitarian crisis is immensely difficult, if not impossible. Still, there is hope that when the world is established, new digital technologies will play their small, but very important role in the revival of priceless historical heritage.
