ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—A Russian symphony orchestra gave a concert in Palmyra’s world-famous amphitheatre on Thursday evening. The Mariinsky Theatre orchestra, led by conductor Valery Gergiyev, gave a concert titled Prayer for Palmyra: Music Revives Ancient Walls. The concert took place in the same amphitheatre where Islamic State (ISIS) militants held public executions just months earlier. Russian President Vladimir Putin opened the concert via video link, describing it as a "sign of gratitude, remembrance, and hope," and called on the world to unite against terrorism. The Kremlin earlier praised the musicians for putting on the concert, reported Russian news agency Tass. “Culture figures express their solidarity with those fighting against terrorists,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “This deserves the highest assessment.” The ancient city of Palmyra was under ISIS control for ten months, until being liberated by the Syrian army, with Russian advisory and air support, at the end of March. The UNESCO world heritage site was seriously damaged, though not as bad as originally feared, by ISIS militants who have outraged the world by smashing and blowing up historical monuments and ancient art throughout territories it has captured in Iraq and Syria. Conductor Gergiyev is a staunch supporter of Putin. He previously held a concert in the South Ossetian city of Tskhinvali in 2008, following armed conflict between Russia and Georgia over the region.
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