Cheikhmous Ali: the Syrian archaeologist who doesn’t take sides

He is missing the boots, the hat and the whip, and one must admit that nature didn’t give him the figure that it gave Indiana Jones, à la Hollywood hunk Harrison Ford. Rather small and near-sighted, Cheikhmous Ali seems always to have an easy air and a warm smile. But when it comes to discussing the fight to save Syria’s heritage, which has been caught in the crossfire of a civil war that began five years ago this March, he speaks with a conviction that cannot fail to impress