ISIS takes ancient city of Palmyra

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slamic State of Iraq and Syria militants, known for their obliteration and wanton destruction of historical sites, have seized parts of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site in Syria, according to reports.

 

"If [the Islamic State] enters Palmyra, it will spell its destruction," said Syria's director of antiquities, Maamoun Abdulkarim, to Agence France-Presse before the news was announced. "If the ancient city falls, it will be an international catastrophe."

 

"It will be a repetition of the barbarism and savagery which we saw in Nimrud, Hatra and Mosul," he said.

 

"We must save Palmyra," said Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, in a statement Thursday. The site, a 1st century A.D. desert oasis, "suffered from looting and represents an irreplaceable treasure for the Syrian people and the world. I appeal to all parties to protect Palmyra and make every effort to prevent its destruction."

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Razed, bulldozed and destroyed: A list of ISIS' obliteration of history

 

Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants are inside the gates of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, according to reports.

Here's a look back at other historical sites lost to the world because of Islamic State fighters' wanton destruction:

The Crac des Chevaliers and other Syrian sites

The site of an 11th century Crusader castle, the Crac des Chevaliers, is one of several Syrian sites that are being irreparably damaged in Syria's ongoing bloody civil war.

Due to the ongoing conflict, it is difficult to confirm the full extent of the damage, but the United Nations warns that a "rich tapestry of cultural heritage" at four sites — Palmyra, the Crac des Chevaliers, the Saint Simeon Church in the ancient villages of northern Syria and Aleppo, including the Aleppo Citadel — "are being ripped to shreds."

 

"All layers of Syrian culture are now under attack — including pre-Christian, Christian and Islamic," said a March 20, 2014 U.N. statement.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/a-list-of-isis-obliteration-of-history/article/2564630

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Thousands of years of human knowledge face being wiped off the face of the Earth as Isis advances on ancient Syrian city of Palmyra

 

Isis militants have reportedly seized part of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a Unesco World Heritage site.

 

Why Palmyra is so important:

 

• Isis fighters shoot dead nine children near ancient city

• Syria urges international community to save 2,000-year-old city from destruction

• The ancient city that stands for both empire and resistance

 

As Isis threatened on the edge of Palmyra towards the end of last week, Joan Smith wrote in this paper of her visit there two decades ago, and how the ancient city stands for both empire and resistance.

I arrived in Palmyra on a cloudless morning after a drive through the desert from Damascus. It is an astonishing sight, the ruins of one of the great cities of antiquity rising against a background of low hills. Walking along the colonnaded main street, with temples and the foundations of shops to either side, it is possible to imagine the bustling life of this oasis city almost 2,000 years ago.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-seizes-palmyra-live-updates-as-unesco-world-heritage-site-falls-to-islamic-state-10263615.html