Islamic
State militants destroyed three ancient tower tombs in the central city of
Palmyra in the last few days, a Syrian government official said Friday.
Tower tombs, built on high
grounds, are a particular feature of the Roman-era ancient caravan city.
Maamoun Abdulkarim, the head
of the Antiquities and Museums Department in Damascus, said Friday the
militants destroyed the tower tombs, including the Elahbel tower that dates
back to the 103 AD, 10 days earlier. Abdulkarim said his information was based
on witness accounts and satellite images provided by the Boston-based American
Schools of Oriental Research.
In a report issued Thursday, the ASOR
Syrian Heritage initiative said the IS group has destroyed seven tower tombs
since the end of June over two phases. The last round of destruction occurred
between August 27 and September 2, including the destruction of the Tower of
Elahbel, the most prominent example of Palmyra's distinct funerary monuments.
Earlier, the Tomb of Iamliku and that of Atenaten were also destroyed.
"Collectively, the damage to these
tombs is not confined to a single area within the Valley of the Tombs, but
instead it is distributed throughout various locations, leaving some towers
destroyed and others still standing," the report said, showing a sequence
of satellite imagery with the sites before and after the damage. "The
reasoning for this differentiation is unknown."
The militants claim ancient relics and
sites of worship promote idolatry. They have already destroyed more modern-day
Islamic cemeteries and shrines in the city.
The militants had already destroyed on
Sunday the two-millennia-old temple of Bel in the city, confirmed by U.N.
satellite images. The smaller Temple of Baalshamin was also destroyed days
before, and the group posted images of the damage.
In the most detailed report on the recent
damage wrought by the IS group, the ASOR Syrian Heritage Initiative report
confirmed the destruction of the smaller temple with satellite images. The
report, through the satellite imagery, said the temple of Bel was severely
damaged with only the front gateway to the inner sanctuary still standing. The
temple's colonnades were still standing, the report said.
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