“How did I get here? How was I this privileged?”

Eulogy for Palmyra

As one of the last photographers to capture the ancient city before its destruction by the Islamic State, 89-year-old Sir Don McCullin returns for what he says is the last time

By Anthony Loyd

The declaration of a love, so guileless that it was somehow all the more surprising, had been handwritten inside the cover of Palmyra 1885.

“This book is one of my favorites and I enjoy it every time I look through it, because I love Palmyra,” the owner of the book had inked by the title page, as if wanting his reflection to remain as testimony.