The towering stone columns of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria rise majestically from the desert sands, lining the main avenue that once connected its temples, markets and amphitheater.

Its hilltop castle still provides commanding views of the city’s remains, which are so vast and well preserved that they have attracted explorers, archaeologists and tourists for hundreds of years.

But up close, the damage from Syria’s 13-year civil war is clear: historic arches felled by explosions, statues defaced by extremists and temples reduced to heaps of rubble.

Since rebels toppled the strongman Bashar al-Assad in December, effectively ending the war, Syrians and rare international tourists have been visiting Palmyra to take in one of the country’s most stunning heritage sites and ponder how it may fit into Syria’s future.

“There was civilization in this place, and despite the shelling and destruction, there is still civilization,” said Ziad Alissa, a Syrian doctor who lives in France and visited Palmyra with friends one recent day. “This changes the picture in people’s minds of Syria, of destruction and war.”