Top 5 ancient historical monuments destroyed by Igil

Spreading through Syria and Iraq, a terrorist group banned in Russia, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant( IGIL) destroyed many priceless archaeological sites, looting some for profit and severely damaging others to attract world attention.

Here are five ancient historical monuments destroyed by IGIL .

5. Temple of the Forty Martyrs in Aleppo

From the first day the terrorists of the Islamic state made it clear that they consider monuments of antiquity or expendable materials, or( in the case of religious buildings used for worshiping someone other than Allah) blasphemous. They believe that many of these historical sites were buried and forgotten during the time of the Prophet Muhammad, and are now excavated and revered as "idolaters."The IGIL fighters and the temple of the Forty Martyrs did not spare, the first mention of which dates back to 1476, and the last one by April 29, 2015.This oldest Armenian church was one of the unique examples of Baroque architecture.

4. Museum in Mosul

This second largest museum in Iraq housed unique items of Assyrian origin. Many of them were created several thousand years ago. At first the museum suffered in 2003, during the war in Iraq, and in 2015 the extremists of IGIL reached it. They published records, which are ruthlessly destroyed by ancient statues and bas-reliefs.

For some, the fact that Islamic state militants not only destroy but also sell stolen artifacts may seem like a good sign. It is better if items related to ancient history "pop up" in the black market, than they completely disappear. But these sales encourage terrorists to further robbery and destruction. In addition, the removal of the archaeological object from its archaeological context deprives it of the lion's share of historical meaning and meaning.

3. Baal Shamin Temple in Palmira

Before the Islamic state militants entered Palmyra, the Syrian government managed to take out hundreds of antique statues from there. But the 2000-year-old temple erected in honor of the god Baal( Phoenician analogue of Zeus), with itself you will not take away. Photos on which terrorists lay explosives in a building that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and observe the explosion prove that this ancient monument has disappeared forever from the world. But before the civil war in Syria, Palmyra, one of the most famous cities of late Antiquity, visited 150,000 tourists a year.

2. Mosque of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul

The second place in the list of historical architectural objects, destroyed by the militants IGIL, is occupied by the mosque, considered the burial place of the prophet Jonah. Modern Mosul covers the site of the ancient Assyrian capital of Nineveh, where, according to the Bible, Jonah preached. The Assyrian church stood over the grave of the prophet for centuries. After the conquest by the Arabs, the church became a mosque. The fact that the tomb of Jonah was a sacred place not only for Christians, but for Muslims, barbarians from the "Islamic state" does not care.

1. Arc de Triomphe in Palmira

The first place in the top 5 ancient historical monuments destroyed by IGIL was the Arc de Triomphe, built by the Romans in the 2nd century AD, to celebrate the victory over the Persians. It is depicted on Russian textbooks on the history of the ancient world( author - Korovkin, F.P.).

Architectural composition consisted of one large arch surrounded by two smaller ones. The upper part of the arch was decorated with beautiful geometric and floral ornament. This precious stone in the UNESCO collection had no religious significance and the extremists destroyed the arch only "to spite" the Syrian authorities and the international community, emphasizing their ability to act with impunity.