Additional Resources & Information

About This Project

Getty Research Institute presents Return to Palmyra. Featuring an overview of the city from the prehistoric to modern period by art historian Joan Aruz and an interview with Waleed Khaled al-As’ad, former director of antiquities and museums at Palmyra, this project highlights the unique history and character of the Palmyrene people.

To gain an understanding of Palmyra’s far-reaching influence, explore our online exhibition The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra, newly available in Arabic as well.

Return to Palmyra is Getty's first project presented in Arabic. To achieve this, we enlisted the help of regional scholars and consultants who guided the translation and design of the Arabic website, providing a reading and viewing experience that is consistent and engaging in both languages.

Project Team

Waleed Khaled al-As’ad, Director Emeritus of Antiquities and Museums, Palmyra, scholarly consultant
Joan Aruz, Curator Emerita, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, scholarly consultant
Peter Louis Bonfitto, Austin Community College, curatorial consultant
Moira Day, Getty Research Institute, curatorial assistant
Jane Friedman, Getty Research Institute, project associate
Andrew Kersey, Getty Research Institute, editor, content strategist
Helen Malko, Columbia Global Centers, Amman, Arabic consultant
Liz McDermott, Getty Research Institute, project lead
Megan Newcome, Getty Research Institute, content strategist
Ridha Moumni, Aga Khan fellow, Harvard University, curatorial and Arabic consultant
Uma Nair, Getty Research Institute, project manager, managing editor
Stick Creations, media and production agency
Frances Terpak, Getty Research Institute, curator

Special thanks to: Majd al-Shihabi, Argos Multilingual, Christa Aube, Natasha Berokoff, Catherine Bonesho, Tristan Bravinder, Debra Canter, Paula Carlson, Jim Cuno, Andra Darlington, Matthew Dunnerstick, Rich Fagan, Noureddine Khiary, Kristine Genevive Khouri, Anne Helmreich, Amy Hood, Kenneth Lapatin, Lisa Lapin, Atoor G. Lawandow, Kirsten Lew, Tima Link, Theresa Luisotti, Maureen McGlynn, Mary Miller, Shanjida Milon, David Newbury, Steve Olsen, Jennifer Park, Andrew Perchuk, Lily Pregill, Yousra Rebbani, Brittany Saake, Ursula Schulz-Dornburg, Andreas Schmidt-Colinet, Caitlin Shamberg, Annelisa Stephan, Lela Urquhart, Yasmine Vatere, Maria Velez, Anya Ventura, Sarah Waldorf, Lena Watanabe, and Robert Weisberg.

The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra

Getty Research Institute's first online exhibition, The Legacy of Ancient Palmyra, features the Institute's rare print and photograph collections documenting an important archaeological site that has recently undergone devastating changes amid an ongoing war in Syria. The project was conceived as a means to complement the Institute's exceptional holdings with an innovative design that creates a compelling digital experience. The online presentation of this exhibition aims to reach a global audience.

Project Team

Curators

Frances Terpak, Getty Research Institute, curator
Peter Louis Bonfitto, Getty Research Institute, research associate

Project Team

Betsy Brand, Getty Research Institute, digital engagement
Paula Carlson, J. Paul Getty Trust Web Group, web developer and programmer
Jane Friedman, Getty Research Institute, project associate
Alicia Houtrouw, Getty Research Institute, content strategist
Andrew Kersey, Getty Research Institute, content strategist and project editor
Ahree Lee, J. Paul Getty Trust Web Group, user experience designer
Liz McDermott, Getty Research Institute, project lead
Uma Nair, Getty Research Institute, project manager
Karen Nakada, The Happening Studio, visual designer
Masato Nakada, The Happening Studio, visual designer
Kayleigh Perkov, Getty Research Institute, graduate intern

Legal

Mikka Gee Conway, J. Paul Getty Trust, assistant general counsel

Administrative

Moira Day, Getty Research Institute, curatorial assistant
Kristen Decker, Getty Research Institute, administrative assistant

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Thomas W. Gaehtgens, Jack Ludden, Andrew Perchuk, and Marcia Reed for their sustained encouragement in developing this project, and for creating an environment at Getty Research Institute that fosters new endeavors.

Special thanks to the following for their valuable contributions to this project: Fred Albertson, Martha Alfaro, Mantas Andrijauskas, Joan Aruz, Christa Aube, Zainab Bahrani, Nikolas Bakirtizis, Annie Barnes, Jobe Benjamin, Tracy Bonfitto, Claudia Brink, Robert Brown, Shelby Brown, Michelle Brunnick, Giorgio Buccellati, Debra Canter, Henry Colburn, Linda Conze, Tahnee Cracchiola, Ted Dancesu, Owen Doonan, Chris Edwards, Adriana Fernandez, Duncan Forbes, Lisa Forman, Michał Gawlikowski, Corinna Gramatke, Eric Guzman, Ann Harrison, Maira Hernandez-Andrade, Amy Hood, Brooks Huber, Wim Hupperetz, Visa Immonen, Julie Jaskol, Ted Kaizer, Jorrit Kelder, Thomas Ketelsen, Jan Kindberg Jacobsen, Sharon King, Kenneth Lapatin, Sean Leatherbury, Claire Lyons, Louis Marchesano, Theresa Marino, Maureen McGlynn, Matt Moore, David Myers, Christine Nguyen, Nancy Perloff, Melissa Piper, Isotta Poggi, Merritt Price, Rubina Raja, Julie Romain, Ursula Schulz-Dornburg, Kim Sellery, Sarah Sherman, Teresa Soleau, Jeffrey Spier, Christopher Sprinkle, Annelisa Stephan, Mark Stone, Jeanne Marie Teutonico, Branko van Oppen, Cristina Velasquez, Maria Velez, Sarah Waldorf, Wes Walker, Amelia Wong, Anna Zagorski, and Dror Zeevi.

Image Rights

Except as noted below, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License.

All images listed below, numbered according to their order on the Exhibition Checklist, are reproduced with the permission of the owners and are expressly excluded from the Creative Commons license covering the rest of this online exhibition. These images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or manipulated without consent from the owners, who reserve all rights.

List of Images

78. Getty Research Institute, 84-B25075

89. Allard Pierson Museum, University of Amsterdam, 000.049. Courtesy of the University of Amsterdam

93. Photo Credit: National Trust / Art Resource, NY

94. National Trust, Erddig, Wrexham, Wales, 1147092

100. Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australian Government Grant 1890, 0.86

102. The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, California. Purchased with the Virginia Steele Scott Acquisition fund for American Art. Photo © Fredrik Nilsen. © Courtesy of the Huntington Art Collections, San Marino, California