The Turkish government is planning to open a museum in May 2015 on the site of a former archeological site and ancient city once excavated by T.E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). The problem facing the site is that it sits on the Syria/Turkey border controlled by the radical group the Islamic State (IS).
Lawrence of Arabia was an officer of the British army who gained international fame for his various exploits, so much so that a film portraying the officer based on his World War One activities was released in 1962.
The border between Turkey and Syria sits 20m (66ft) away from the museum site, which will include a 4m (13ft) high anti-sniper wall to protect visitors.
The site features Lawrence’s original quarters – a house used by the Turkish military since the early 1920s – and part of the Ancient biblical city of Carchemish, once at the heart of the Ottoman Empire.
Carchemish was thought to be lost before being rediscovered in the 19th century. The site will be open to the public for the first time in nearly a century, previously cut off because it was situated inside an inaccessible Turkish military zone. Turkish authorities however, are now adamant that there is nothing to fear from IS and will open the site from May next year.
