Mona Lisa and Ancient Statues Scrubbed From Syria Textbooks
The Syrian education ministry has removed an image of the Mona Lisa, ancient civilizational statues, and depictions of dancing from official school textbooks as critics challenge a sweeping revision of the national curriculum. The alterations target multiple grade levels, affecting seventh-grade history books, third-grade social studies materials, and sixth-grade social affairs texts.
In a fourth-grade Islamic education textbook, illustrations showing individuals in Western clothing were replaced with separate drawings depicting two men in traditional robes and two women wearing niqabs. Additional revisions include redrawing an illustration of schoolgirls at a computer to show them wearing hijabs, alongside the removal of Ornina, a figure associated with ancient Bethnahrinian music, from a third-grade social studies volume. Syrians on social media also noted that a pharaonic bust previously depicted wearing a modern shirt was altered.
The education ministry stated that the changes involve removing symbols of the defunct regime and its ideological content, alongside correcting connected images. These curriculum shifts follow adjustments made last year that removed symbols linked to the Baath party, which governed the country for decades.
The textbook revisions have drawn an outcry after Syrian journalist Mohammad Salloum highlighted them, citing a report from the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education, known as IMPACT-se. The changes coincide with a broader conservative drift under Syria‘s new authorities, led by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa, following the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December 2024. Since taking power, the administration has implemented stricter dress codes for beaches, restricted alcohol sales, and limited certain university courses to men.
