Collart – Palmyra: The Digital Restoration of the Baalshamîn Temple

The 2nd century CE Baalshamin Temple in Palmyra, a unique example of the fusion of Syrian and Roman architecture, was destroyed by Daesh in August 2015. The project creates a virtual, diachronic 3D reconstruction of the temple, integrating scans of architectural elements prepared by Iconem in 2016, with digitized materials from the archives of the Swiss archaeologist Paul Collart who documented the site in the 1930s-60s. The models and other digital materials, available online on an open-access basis through a dedicated website, will support local and international experts in making a decision about the potential physical conservation of the temple.