Syrian government stages patriotic celebrations in Palmrya

The Syrian government on Friday put on a patriotic celebration at the ancient city of Palmyra, with flag-waving and military music in the historic city that until recently was in the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Russian soldiers also attended the event, which came six weeks after the Syrian army recaptured the UNESCO world heritage site and marked the centenary of Martyrs' Day, when Syrian nationalists were executed in Damascus by the Ottoman occupiers in 1916.

"We are here to celebrate those who died to save our homeland. We salute the martyrs of Syria and among them the heroes who died in this very theatre," the event's presenter said before the police and army orchestra took the stage in the ancient arena.

Last July Islamic State released a video showing the mass execution of 25 Syrian soldiers in the theatre. Bullet holes remain visible on one wall.

In a symbol of Moscow's role in the recapture of Palmyra, 20 Russian soldiers marched onto the stage waving Russian and Syrian flags.

The previous day, leading Russian musicians staged a classical concert in the ancient theatre in a show by the Kremlin to herald its successes in the war-torn country.

Famed conductor Valery Gergiev led Saint Petersburg's celebrated Mariinsky orchestra through pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin in front of a crowd of Russian soldiers, government ministers and journalists.

Archaelogists from UNESCO, the UN's cultural agency, visited Palmyra last month and said that the ancient city had suffered significant damage but retained much of its authenticity.

According to the experts, parts of the grand colonnade - an ancient avenue - and agora courtyard remain intact.

But they observed "the destruction of the triumphal arch and Temple of Baal Shamin, which was smashed to smithereens".

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has presented the recapture of Palmyra as evidence of the fight it says it is waging against terrorist groups.

But a UN report in 2014 noted extensive damage to the site caused by Syrian government forces, with local archaeologists and activists documenting stolen busts and emptied chambers.

Russian army sappers said last month they had demined the site, known as the "Pearl of the Desert".

For Friday's event Syrian authorities bussed in delegations from throughout the country.

Between each piece of music the crowd chanted "Syria" and "the sons of the martyrs protect the leader of the nation," in reference to Assad.

Russian soldiers in the audience also waved their country's flag.

However, the civil war is not far away. Just 30 kilometres from the site IS fighters are still at large.

Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was once a crucial hub for trade and culture.

Until the Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011, the site was a key tourist destination.

The staging of the performance in the ruins provoked scorn and ridicule from some opposition supporters on social media:

UK Foreign Minister Philip Hammond described the choice to perform music in Palmyra as "a tasteless attempt to distract attention from the continued suffering of millions".