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Famed Palmyra temple flattened
(MENAFN- Arab News) BEIRUT: Satellite images show the main temple in Syria's Palmyra has been flattened confirming the worst fears for the ancient ruins held by Daesh.
The destruction of the Temple of Bel sparked outrage and international headlines precisely the reaction the terror group may have been seeking experts said.
The UN's cultural watchdog called it an 'intolerable crime against civilization.'
Dozens of relics remain at risk in the ruins of Palmyra.
The extremist group's harsh philosophy condemns pre-Islamic religious sites and considers statues and grave markers to be idolatrous but it has also been accused of destroying heritage to loot items for the black market and to gain publicity.
Satellite images taken before and after an explosion at Palmyra on Sunday 'confirm the destruction of the main Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity' UN training and research agency UNITAR said late Monday.
The 2000-year-old temple was the centerpiece of Palmyra's famed ruins and one of the most important relics at the UNESCO-listed heritage site.
'The Temple of Bel was the most beautiful symbol of all of Syria. It was the most beautiful place to visit' Syrian antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP by telephone from Damascus. 'And we have lost it forever.'
Abdulkarim said Palmyra's remaining ruins which lie in the southwest of the city include 'dozens of the greatest grave markers the amphitheater and the Temple of Nabu which only has its foundations.'
The city's grand Roman amphitheater which dates from between the second and third century is not believed to have been damaged.
But it was the scene of a gruesome massacre shortly after IS seized Palmyra with child members of the group executing 25 Syrian soldiers in the amphitheater.
'They have killed Palmyra. Now they will terrorize it' Abdulkarim said. 'It's the last warning before the complete destruction of Palmyra.'
Cheikhmous Ali of the Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology (APSA) described the razing of the ruins as 'a way to pressure and torture the local population to suppress their history and their collective memory.'
It was also an attempt to 'remain in the headlines' he said warning: 'The more we give IS's savage actions media attention the more they will repeat this.'
UNESCO chief Irina Bokova expressed 'deep distress' over the temple's destruction but vowed it would 'not erase 4500 years of history.'
The destruction of the Temple of Bel sparked outrage and international headlines precisely the reaction the terror group may have been seeking experts said.
The UN's cultural watchdog called it an 'intolerable crime against civilization.'
Dozens of relics remain at risk in the ruins of Palmyra.
The extremist group's harsh philosophy condemns pre-Islamic religious sites and considers statues and grave markers to be idolatrous but it has also been accused of destroying heritage to loot items for the black market and to gain publicity.
Satellite images taken before and after an explosion at Palmyra on Sunday 'confirm the destruction of the main Temple of Bel as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity' UN training and research agency UNITAR said late Monday.
The 2000-year-old temple was the centerpiece of Palmyra's famed ruins and one of the most important relics at the UNESCO-listed heritage site.
'The Temple of Bel was the most beautiful symbol of all of Syria. It was the most beautiful place to visit' Syrian antiquities director Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP by telephone from Damascus. 'And we have lost it forever.'
Abdulkarim said Palmyra's remaining ruins which lie in the southwest of the city include 'dozens of the greatest grave markers the amphitheater and the Temple of Nabu which only has its foundations.'
The city's grand Roman amphitheater which dates from between the second and third century is not believed to have been damaged.
But it was the scene of a gruesome massacre shortly after IS seized Palmyra with child members of the group executing 25 Syrian soldiers in the amphitheater.
'They have killed Palmyra. Now they will terrorize it' Abdulkarim said. 'It's the last warning before the complete destruction of Palmyra.'
Cheikhmous Ali of the Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology (APSA) described the razing of the ruins as 'a way to pressure and torture the local population to suppress their history and their collective memory.'
It was also an attempt to 'remain in the headlines' he said warning: 'The more we give IS's savage actions media attention the more they will repeat this.'
UNESCO chief Irina Bokova expressed 'deep distress' over the temple's destruction but vowed it would 'not erase 4500 years of history.'
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