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23 Aug, 2015

Destroys Palmyra temple

Terror Incident0 Comments

ISIS destroys Baal Shamin temple, a Roman-era historic site in the Syrian city of Palmyra. According to reports the temple was destroyed a month previously. UNESCO calls the act a war crime:

The systematic destruction of cultural symbols embodying Syrian cultural diversity reveals the true intent of such attacks, which is to deprive the Syrian people of its knowledge, its identity and history…Daesh is killing people and destroying sites, but cannot silence history and will ultimately fail to erase this great culture from the memory of the world. Despite the obstacles and fanaticism, human creativity will prevail, buildings and sites will be rehabilitated, and some will be rebuilt. Such acts are war crimes and their perpetrators must be accountable for their actions. UNESCO stands by all Syrian people in their efforts to safeguard their heritage, a heritage for all humanity

Syria’s director of Antiquities:

It stood as it was for more than 1,800 years… It was a beautiful tourist attraction…They destroyed an incredibly important architectural structure. It is the first structure in the Palmyra complex to be destroyed, although they recently destroyed two Islamic shrines nearby. They said they would destroy the statues but not the structures themselves inside Palmyra. They lied.