According to official SANA news agency, a team of restoration experts from the General Directorate of Archeology and Museums finished the first stage of the project for restoring Krak des Chevaliers castle in Homs and repairing the damage caused to it by militant groups.

Krak des Chevaliers castle is a Crusader castle in Syria and one of the most important preserved medieval castles in the world.

Head of the Directorate Maamoun Abdelkarim told SANA that following a preliminary assessment of the damage to the castle, the first stage of the project was carried out last month, consisting of clearing debris and waste left behind by militant groups.

Krak des Chevaliers castle, damaged by terrorist attacks during Syria's war.

He said that damage to the structure was documented using schematics and photographs, with the experts classifying and sorting broken stone fragments and labeling them in order to return them to their original places.

Abdelkarim said the first stage also included temporary support work for parts in risk of crumbling and surveying cracks and dislodgement in walls.

The team in charge of restoration will work throughout the next six month to complete structural surveys and prepare studies for final structural repairs.

Syria sank into war in March 2011 when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

SHI/SHI