IS blows up ancient temple at Palmyra
BEIRUT: Islamic State jihadists have blown up a famous temple at Syria’s ruins of Palmyra, an official said, confirming fears they would destroy more world-class heritage sites.
The destruction of the Baal Shamin temple, considered ancient Palmyra’s second-most significant temple, raised concerns for the rest of the UNESCO World Heritagelisted ruins.
“Our worst fears are sadly being realised,” Syria’s antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said, as he confirmed the temple had been destroyed on Sunday.
Until Sunday, most of Palmyra’s best-known sites had been left intact, though there were reports IS had mined them and the group reportedly destroyed a statue of a lion outside the city’s museum.
“Daesh placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baal Shamin today and then blew it up,” Abdulkarim said on Sunday.
“The cella (inner area of the temple) was destroyed and the columns around collapsed,” he said.
PEARL OF THE DESERT
IS captured Palmyra on May 21, sparking international concern about the fate of the heritage site described by UNESCO as of “outstanding universal value”.
Known as the “Pearl of the Desert”, Palmyra is an oasis town 210 kilometres from Damascus. Under the Roman Empire, beginning in the first century BC and lasting another 400 years, Palmyra rose to prominence. Before the arrival of Christianity, Palmyra worshipped the Semitic god Bel, whose temple at Palmyra is considered the city’s most significant.
Prior to the outbreak of the Syrian conflict, more than 150,000 tourists visited Palmyra annually.
IS mined the ancient site in June before destroying the Lion Statue of Athena. Most of the pieces were evacuated by antiquities staff before IS arrived, though the group has blown up several historic Muslim graves.
WAR CRIME
The demolition of the renowned temple in Palmyra is a war crime that targeted an historic symbol of the country’s diversity, UNESCO said on Monday. “Such acts are war crimes and their perpetrators must be accountable for their actions,” UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova said in a statement.
She also condemned the killing of Khaled al-Asaad, an 82-year-old archaeologist who had looked after Palmyra’s ruins for four decades.
LACK OF WEAPONS
The military chief of Libya’s internationally-recognized government said Monday that lack of weapons prevented his forces from attacking Islamic State extremists in the city of Sirte, but that he has been promised help from the Arab League. “Lack of weapons prevents us from expanding. We have limits because of our limited capabilities,” he said. The government received “promises from the members of the Arab League to provide the required assistance to stage a proper attack,” he added.
SODOMY DEATHS
The IS extremist group has claimed responsibility for executing at least 30 people for sodomy, the head of an international gay rights organization said Monday at the first-ever U.N. Security Council meeting spotlighting what organizers called the “barbaric treatment.”