As you are all probably already aware, yesterday ISIS managed to successfully recapture the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. Palmyra is an ancient city located in central Syria. Prior to the Syrian Civil War, Palmyra was widely renowned for its beautiful ancient monuments. It was one the most popular tourist destinations in the Middle East. It was, and still is, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In May of 2015, ISIS captured Palmyra. On June 27, 2015, ISIS destroyed the Lion of Al-lat, an ancient staute of a lion created during the first century A.D.
On August 23, 2015, ISIS blew up the Temple of Baalshamin, a remarkably well-preserved ancient Canaanite temple dedicated to Baalshamin, the Canaanite god of the skies. The temple had been originally built during the second century B.C., but later renovated in 131 A.D. It was one of the most well-preserved ancient temples in the world. Now the temple has been completely destroyed.
On August 30, 2015, ISIS blew up the Temple of Bel, another remarkably well-preserved ancient temple, which had been completed in 32 A.D. The entry arch to this temple survived the blast, but the rest of the temple was completely destroyed.
Between August 27 and September 2, 2015, ISIS entered into a destructive frenzy, during which time they blew up the Tower of Elahbel, a four-story-height funerary monument constructed during the first century A.D. or therabouts. In early October of 2015, ISIS blew up the Monumental Arch of Palmyra, which had been one of the most popular tourist attractions at the entire site.
In addition to destroying beloved ancient monuments, ISIS also brutally destroyed several Islamic holy sites, including a tomb reputed to belong to a descendant of Muhammad’s uncle and an Islamic shrine built more than five hundred years ago.
In March of 2016, Syrian government forces successfully recaptured the city of Palmyra. As they retreated, ISIS fighters blew up large portions of the Palmyra Castle, a medieval castle built on the site of Palmyra during the 1200s A.D.
By the time that ISIS fighters had finally been completely driven out of Palmyra, almost all of the city’s most historic monuments had been totally or almost totally destroyed.
The recapture of Palmyra was hailed as a momentous victory, a sign that ISIS’s control in Syria was nearing an end. Then, just yesterday, ISIS recaptured the city of Palmyra, signalling that, unfortunately, Palmyra is still not safe from further destruction of cultural heritage.
SOURCES
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33369701
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34036644
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34111092
http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/12/middleeast/palmyra-syria-isis-russia/
In latest round of destruction, ISIL reduces three ancient tower tombs in Palmyra to rubble
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/23/isis-blows-up-temple-dating-back-to-17ad-in-unesco-listed-syrian-city
IMAGE CREDITS
The image at the beginning of this article is a photograph of the Temple of Baalshamin taken in 2010 prior to its destruction by ISIS. This image was retrieved from Wikimedia Commons. The usage of this image is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-SA 3.0. Attribution: Bernard Gagnon
