The world has stood by silently these last five years as Syria has been annihilated by its civil war. The country has been destroyed, its people displaced and it history eradicated by the ongoing fighting and the barbaric actions of ISIS.  It’s heartbreaking and difficult to watch. Below is a list of historical sites in Syria (there are many) that are at risk, have been damaged or have been destroyed in this tragic war.

 

Palmyra (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

A recent casualty of ISIS is the 2000 year old city of Palmyra. This is an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site located 130 miles northeast of Damascus. It is known for its well preserved statues, tombs and colonnaded streets.  Reports from Syria is that three ancient funeral towers and seven tombs, part of the Temple of Bel and Baal Shamin temple, have been destroyed.

The tragedy is amplified by the senseless and gruesome murder of 81 year old antiques scholar Khaled Al Asaad. Kidnapped and tortured for a month, he refused to give the terrorists information on where valuable artifacts had been moved for safe keeping. They beheaded him and then hung his body publicly on one of the columns.

 

Monastery of St Elian

Another sad example of the sadistic evil that is the Islamic State. ISIS demolished this monastery, founded more than 1,500 years ago in central Syria. The terrorists also threw away the mortal remains of the popular saint, reports said. The terror group has posted a series of images online showing its fighters razing the ancient Christian monastery to ground. In the pictures, the terrorists are seen digging up the remains of Saint Elian, the Roman saint after whom the monastery was named.The images show the terrorists using an excavator to throw away the “sacred bones” of the saint. The church and the monastery were built on the spot where Saint Elian was killed by his father, a Roman officer, after he refused to denounce his Christian faith.

 

Ancient City of Bosra (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Bosra, once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia, was an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca. A magnificent 2nd-century Roman theatre, early Christian ruins and several mosques are found within its great walls. This city has survived about 2500 years inhabited and almost intact. The Nabataeans, Romans, Byzantines and Umayyad, all left traces in the city, which is an open museum associated with significant episodes in the history of ideas and beliefs.

Sadly the main centerpiece of the city, a Roman amphitheatre, has been severely damaged by the mortar bombing in the ongoing civil war.

The Great Mosque of Aleppo (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

The Great Mosque of Aleppo or the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo is one of the oldest mosques in the world. This epic structure, originally built in the 8th century, has evolved over the successive eras eventually gaining its famous minaret in the 11th century.  Sadly the minaret was destroyed during fighting on April 2013.

 

Citadel of Aleppo (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

The Citadel of Aleppo is a large medieval fortified palace and is considered to be one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. The fortress spans 4 millenial from Alexander The Great through to the Romans, the Mongols and the Ottoman rule. This citadel has barely changed from the 16th century and was one of Syria’s most popular world heritage sites. The citadel has been used as a base in the war and several of its buildings have been destroyed

 

Crac des Chevaliers (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Crac Des Chevaliers is a crusader castle from the 11th century which has survived countless battles and natural disasters. It is one of the world’s most important and best preserved Crusader castles, which once held off a siege by the Muslim warrior Saladin some 900 years ago and was lauded for its beauty by Lawrence of Arabia.

Sadly this Heritage site has been partially damaged in the Syrian civil war from shelling, although the full extent of the damage is unknown.

Al-Madina Souq in Aleppo (UNESCO World Heritage Site)

Al-Madina Souq is the largest covered historic market in the world. Most of the souqs date back to the 14th century and are named after various professions and crafts, hence the wool souq, the copper souq, and so on. Many sections of the souq and other medieval buildings in the ancient city were destroyed, ruined or burnt as a result of the ongoing civil war.