Palmyra must not be fixed. History would never forgive us

Sometimes ruins are better left as ruins. Just because we have the 3D printers to undo Isis’s vandalism doesn’t mean we should use them

Palmyra must not “rise again”, as Syria’s director of antiquities has promised. It must not be turned into a fake replica of its former glory. Instead, what remains of this ancient city after its destruction by Isis – and that is mercifully more than many people feared – should be tactfully, sensitively and honestly preserved.

Related: Palmyra after Isis: a visual guide

This Isis attack was not a counterfactual fantasy. It really occurred

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