Damascus, SANA-Damascus National Museum is located on the banks of the Barada River and is considered one of the most important Arab museums. It is the largest, oldest, and most famous, and contains the most prominent Syrian antiquities discovered in the twentieth century, therefore, Arab and foreign researchers consider it a documentary, historical and cultural reference.
The Directorate of Antiquities and Museums stated that the National Museum is divided into five main sections, divided according to their historical eras.
The first section is the prehistoric section, which includes important artifacts dating from about one million years BC until the emergence of writing.
This section includes ruins for the beginnings of civilization, which show how primitive man used stones as tools and then how he began to tame these stones to make them useful in his work as hammers, drills and other things.
This section also includes a skeleton that the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums says dates back to the Neanderthal era (120,000 years BC). There are also two skulls dating back to about 7,000 years BC, according to the Directorate, and there are remains of animal bones dating back to the Paleolithic era.
This section also contains relics that show the beginnings of pottery making in Syria since 7000 years BC and how statues were made from it, in addition to the presence of precious stones.
The second section of the museum is the eastern section, which is the section of ancient eastern Syrian antiquities, it includes pieces dating back to the period from the beginning of the emergence of writing until the arrival of Alexander the Great to the Levant.
This section includes the masterpieces of the ancient Canaanite civilization discovered in Ugarit, the most important of which is the alphabet, which is considered the first alphabet known to humanity, in addition to the presence of ivory artifacts also discovered in Ugarit on the Syrian coast.
It also contains a sword dating back to the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses II, Amorite antiquities discovered in Mari, clay tablets, Aramaic antiquities, antiquities from Tell Amrit and Tell El-Kezel, Phoenician antiquities and antiquities from the Kingdom of Ebla.
The third section is the Syrian antiquities one, dating back to the eras of the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines, in addition to the antiquities of Palmyra City , including Palmyrene sculptures and statues of men and women adorned with jewelry.
There are also remains of linen, silk and woolen textiles for which the Palmyrene civilization was famous.
This section also includes basalt stones from which the most wonderful statues were carved, as well as mosaic panels that represent agriculture, culture, philosophy and justice, the most prominent of these panels is a panel related to the legend of the beginning of the Olympic Games, which has artistic, cultural and civilizational value.
There are also mosaic artifacts representing two Christian priests, which are considered among the most beautiful creations of mosaic art in the Byzantine era.
The section includes a special pavilion for gold jewelry, where the finest creations of our ancestors in the art of the goldsmith are displayed, there is also a special pavilion for coins, where coins from various eras are displayed.
The section also includes the Byzantine Art pavilion, where we find masterpieces of Arab Christian art, glass, and frescoes.
The fourth section is the Arab-Islamic section, which includes exhibits dating back to the Umayyad era, such as the facade of Qasr al-Hayr al-Gharbi, porcelain, glass cups and jars.
This section includes a hall dedicated to stone antiquities and a beautiful sculpture dating back to the Mamluk era, which depicts a doctor carrying medicines.
There is also a hall dedicated to Arabic hand scripts, including some dating back to the eleventh century AD, as well as a hand script of the Canon of Ibn Sina, a manuscript related to eye diseases and the Holy Quran, and many other artifacts.
The fifth section is the modern art section, which displays the most beautiful paintings, sculptures and statues created by contemporary artists.
While the museum garden, which is considered another museum, is a large garden that includes the most beautiful creations of Syrian art from different eras, there is the sarcophagus discovered in the city of Rastan, a statue of a lion discovered in Lattakia, a huge mosaic discovered in Hama, and there are capitals of huge columns, stones and many statues.
Fedaa al-Rhayiah
