Spotted in Trafalgar Square, London, in April — a near-perfect replica of a triumphal arch from the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. The original was destroyed by Islamic State militants in September 2015.

This project, run by the Institute of Digital Archaeology (IDA) in collaboration with UNESCO, aims to raise awareness of ancient cultural sites at risk of destruction through war or natural disasters. At its heart lies the ‘Million Image Database’ — currently, hundreds of thousands of photographs provided by 5000 volunteers, who were provided with special cameras to capture each architectural structure in detail. Pioneering technology was then used to programme computer aided machinery to cut the replica from new blocks of Egyptian marble.

The structure is now on its way to New York, where it will go on show in September. “