Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
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Damascus, SANA – The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) blew up three ancient tower tombs in Palmyra city, a UNESCO world Heritage site, located in the central Homs province.
Director General of the Antiquities and Museums Directorate Maamoun Abdul-Karim confirmed ISIS new aggression, citing local sources in Palmyra city and satellite images released by Boston University on September 2nd.
This aggressive attack is one of a series of deliberate vandalism acts inflicted by ISIS on ruins and historical sites in Palmyra after it took over it last May, where they destroyed last August large parts of the ancient Temple of Bel, dating back to 32 AD, and Temple of Baalshamin.
In early July, ISIS destroyed the 1,900-year-old “Lion of Al-Lat” statue in Palmyra.
The three monuments, according to Abdul-Karim, date back to different eras from 44 to 103 A.D. They include the Tower of Elahbel, built in AD103 and regarded as the finest example of this type of building as its niche shows the importance of funerary banquets in the cult of the dead at Palmyra, in addition to the Tower of Iamliku and the Tower of Kitot.
Manar/H.Said
