Syria ISIS reportedly blows up temple in Palmyra

The temple has been around since the first century and was constructed to the dedication of Phoenician, the God of storms and fertilizing rains.

Syria’s antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told the AFP about the monument’s destruction using a different name for ISIS.

The Sunni extremists, who’ve imposed a violent interpretation of Islamic regulation throughout their self-declared in territory they management in Syria and Iraq, declare historic relics promote idolatry and say they’re destroying them as a part of their purge of paganism. The Syrian government evacuated the majority of the local population and removed the most valuable artifacts from museums to prevent their theft, sale or destruction.

IS, which controls swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq, captured Palmyra on May 21, sparking worldwide concern concerning the destiny of the heritage website described by UNESCO as of “excellent common worth”.

In July, the group destroyed a famous statue of a lion outside Palmyra’s museum, after taking over and looting the city, known as Tadmur in Arabic.

Last week, it emerged that Khaled Asaad, an 82-year-old antiquities scholar who worked for over 50 years in Palmyra, had been beheaded by IS after he had been interrogated for over a month.

According to the BBC, Abdulkarim said the terrorist group blew up the temple on Sunday, but the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported it already happened roughly a month ago. However, they are also believed to sell off looted antiquities, bringing in significant sums of cash.

Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.

They said Sunday’s attack took place in the rural district of Jaramshah north of Anbar’s provincial capital, Ramadi.

ISIL had mined the ancient site in June before destroying the Lion Statue of Athena – a unique piece made of limestone that stood more than three metres high outside a museum.