Islamic State militants have destroyed the ancient tower tombs of Palmyra, continuing a campaign of destruction that threatens Syria’s cultural heritage.
The destruction of the tombs, which date from 100 A.D., was discovered in satellite imagery received Wednesday, said Allison Cuneo, project manager for the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR), which produces a bi-weekly report on the status of cultural heritage sites in Iraq and Syria for the State Department.
“This confirmed rumors we had heard,” Cuneo said. “We think it happened in multiple stages.”
The earliest satellite evidence ASOR has is from June 26, shortly after Islamic State militants’ takeover of the historic Greco-Roman site in May. Some destruction is visible in the next set of satellites images, received Aug. 27, and more could be seen in images received Wednesday, she said.
Maamoun Abdulkarim, head of the Antiquities and Museums Department in Damascus, told the Associated Press on Friday that the militants destroyed the tower tombs, including the Elahbel tower built in 103 AD, about 10 days ago. Among the demolished relics is the four-story Tower of Elahbel, the most prominent example of Palmyra’s funerary monuments.
Last month, the Islamic State, which controls a wide swath of territory spanning western Iraq and much of Syria, also beheaded archaeologist Khaled al-Asaad, a caretaker at the Palmyra site.
On Sunday, the militants destroyed the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel there. The group has also wrecked the smaller Temple of Baal-Shamim, pre-Islamic and pre-Christian temples, as well as modern day Islamic cemeteries and shrines in Palmyra. The group claims such sites promote idolatry.
“That is the ideology they portray, but we’re seeing them attack sites that are not being worshiped,” Cuneo said.
efore the Syrian civil war began in 2011, Palmyra’s well preserved Greco-Roman ruins were a major tourist destination. They portray a metropolitan culture on a major trade route visited by people from across the ancient world.
The damage the Islamic State is doing there goes far beyond damage to stones and buildings, Cuneo said.
“Wanton destruction of cultural heritage is a major issue of this armed conflict and part of a wider humanitarian crisis taking place in this region,” Cuneo said. The Islamic State “is taking control of not only vulnerable populations and attacking them but also attacking their cultural heritage and memories, and trying to erase the history of all the people of Syria.”
