ISIS destroys 2,000-year-old Syrian Temple, UNESCO calls it a ‘war crime’

The Islamic State has continued to destroy ancient artifacts in the regions of Syria and Iraq under its control. The group claims to have destroyed a temple in Palmyra, Syria that dates back to the 1st Century. UNESCO, the UN’s top agency on cultural artifacts, called the temple’s destruction a “war crime.”

The Temple of Baalshamin is one of the most famous ruins in Palmyra and now it is destroyed, according to the Syrian Arab Republic Ministry of Culture. The terror group destroyed the ruins using “a large quantity of explosives,” the ministry said.

UNESCO director general Irina Bokova said Monday that the temple’s destruction is “an immense loss” and called for ISIS to be held accountable for destroying such artifacts.

“The systematic destruction of cultural symbols embodying Syrian cultural diversity reveals the true intent of such attacks, which is to deprive the Syrian people of its knowledge, its identity and history,” Bokova said. “One week after the killing of Professor Khaled al-Assaad, the archaeologist who had looked after Palmyra's ruins for four decades, this destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity.”

As ABC News notes, ISIS has been making propaganda videos, showing ruins and artifacts at historical sites being destroyed. Another video shows children executing Syrian soldiers at an amphitheater in Palmyra.

Last week, ISIS killed Khaled al-Asaad, 81, a Syrian scholar who had been working as director of antiquities for the city for over 50 years.

Below is a UNESCO video showing the city before ISIS arrived.

screenshot from UNESCO YouTube video