Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

ISIS destroys 2000-year-old temple in Syria’s Palmyra

 ISIS destroys 2000-year-old temple in Syria’s Palmyra

The Baalshamin temple (seen here in 2014) is one of Palmyra’s best-known buildings

The Baalshamin temple (seen here in 2014) is one of Palmyra's best-known buildings
The Baalshamin temple (seen here in 2014) is one of Palmyra’s best-known buildings

(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – On Sunday, Syrian activists reported that the ISIS militants blew up the Baalshamin Temple, which dates back to two thousand years, in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.

Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria’s antiquities chief, said ISIS placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin on Sunday and blew it up, causing much damage.

“Our darkest predictions are unfortunately taking place,” Abdulkarim told the AFP news agency.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the destruction of the temple.

Another Turkish-based activist, who is originally from Palmyra, told the AP news agency, that sources from the city said the temple was blown up today.

The ancient city, which is a Unesco World Heritage site, is famed for its well-preserved Greco-Roman ruins, and the Baalshamin temple, built nearly 2,000 years ago, is one of the city’s best-known buildings.

Palmyra is a large site, visited by millions
Palmyra is a large site, visited by millions
The oldest parts of the Baalshamin temple dated to the 1st Century AD
The oldest parts of the Baalshamin temple dated to the 1st Century AD
Palmyra sits in the desert, some 200km (125 miles) north-east of the Syrian capital, Damascus
Palmyra sits in the desert, some 200km (125 miles) north-east of the Syrian capital, Damascus
Many smaller statues and artefacts were moved from the city before it fell to IS
Many smaller statues and artefacts were moved from the city before it fell to IS

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