Perpetrating horrible atrocities such as rape, beheadings, enslavement and leaving total chaos in its wake, ISIS–which considers religious shrines idolatrous–continues to destroy and sell valuable antiquities in parts of Syria and Iraq. One of Palmyra’s ancient sites, the temple of Baalshamin (a Unesco World Heritage Site known as Pearl of the Desert) contains monumental ruins of a once great city. Recognized as one of the most important cultural centers of the ancient world, it was recently blown up by ISIS militants according to Syrian officials and activists.
There has been uncertainty — not unusual amid the chaos of the Syrian conflict — over when exactly the damage was done to the temple, which dates from the first century AD. The Syrian Head of Antiquities was quoted saying the site was blown up on Sunday August 23rd, but the UK based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it happened a month ago. Irrespective of these inconsistencies, a nearly 2,000-year-old temple in the historic ruins of Palmyra in Syria has been obliterated. These reports come less than a week after the Observatory said ISIS militants had publicly beheaded Khaled al-As’ad, the 82-year-old former general manager of antiquities and museums in Palmyra. The Syrian government’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums is investigating the full extent of the incident, according to the state paper.
ISIS fighters had earlier seized control of Palmyra and the nearby bustling town of Tadmur in May, prompting fears over what the militants would do to the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Full control of the ancient Syrian town was taken after government defense lines collapsed on Wednesday, though it remains unclear how close to the famed archaeological site the extremists had advanced. Syrian state TV acknowledged that pro-government forces have withdrawn from Palmyra. The fall of the town to the ISIS-affiliated group is a stunning defeat for President Bashar Assad’s forces, coming only days after ISIS militants launched their offensive against central Syria town. It is also an enormous threat to future stability, not only because of its cultural significance, but because it will have opened the way for extremists to advance to other key government-held areas, including Homs and Damascus (according to NBC News). The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirms that government forces collapsed in the face of ISIS attacks and withdrew from the town late on Wednesday after the attack.
In addition to the mounting death toll and human destruction that ISIS is responsible for, there has been great economic, archaeological, and architectural loss. Before Syrian conflict began, over 150,000 tourists visited Palmyra annually, generating much needed revenue to the area. This however stopped with the advent of ISIS and the ensuing conflict. Historically, the temple of Baalshamin site boasted a number of monumental projects, over 1,000 columns, and a formidable necropolis of over 500 tombs. The Baalshamin temple is dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilising rains, and was almost completely intact. The oldest parts of the temple are thought to have dated to the year 17 AD. Unique aesthetically, its art and architecture combined Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. Sadly, the Cella (inner area of the temple) was destroyed and the columns around collapsed according to the Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim.
ISIS attacks on historical sites and artefacts have not been limited to the temple of Baalshamin. In January the group ransacked the central library in the Iraqi city of Mosul, burning thousands of books. In February, a video emerged showing the destruction of more ancient artefacts at the central museum in Mosul. In March, ISIS used explosives and bulldozers to destroy Nimrud, one of Iraq’s greatest archaeological treasures. Shortly after, ISIS militants destroyed the ruins at Hatra.
Proving that the advance of global conflict can cause even more devastating and irreparable harm, the assault on Palmyra should cause us to reconsider how we will manage these global threats to peace–past, present, and future.
