The Tomb of Yarḥāy: Introduction

 

Palmyra's art had as an objective the decoration of temples and tombs. It had multiplied with force and vitality the images of gods and mortals throughout the first three centuries of the Common Era. This is best illustrated by the imposing Tomb of Yarḥāy, built in 108 CE and decorated over a period of two hundred years with busts and reliefs. The hypogeum was discovered in 1934 and reconstituted at the National Museum of Damascus in 1936. This was the first restoration of a great monumental group at the museum; its success prompted similar later undertakings.

 

Sélim Abdul-Hak. The Treasures of the National Museum of Damascus. Publication of the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) 1959.