Syria's Hasakah Museum-occupied by military for more than a decade-to finally open

"The Syrian city of Al-Hasakah is suddenly the owner of a handsome archaeological museum that has never opened its doors to the public-a welcome peace dividend that the local government and an NGO are hoping will soon play a role in healing a war-weary society. Construction on the Hasakah Museum began in 2002, under Bashar al-Assad's regime. Designed in a sleek Modernist style, the museum was to house the artefacts"

"But Syria's civil war began before the museum was finished or the collection installed. In 2011, according to Montasir Qasim, director of the Antiquities and Museums Department in the Al-Jazira region, Assad's military forces occupied the building and began using it as a base and weapons depot. As the war progressed, Al-Hasakah became a flashpoint for the numerous militias fighting in the north."

Construction of the Hasakah Museum began in 2002 with a Modernist design intended to house artefacts from nearby excavations such as Tell Mozan, site of ancient Urkesh. Syria's civil war interrupted completion and installation, and in 2011 Assad's military occupied the building, using it as a base and weapons depot. Al-Hasakah became a contested flashpoint with Kurdish and Syrian Democratic Forces controlling much of Al-Jazira while the regime held a central security zone that included the museum. That security zone ended in December 2024, allowing non-governmental access and local efforts to open the museum and display its collection.

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