(In Pics) Archaeological Treasures Lost to War

Human conflict has been responsible for more destruction than almost any other force imaginable, and certainly as we have come to dominate our little planet we have been destroyers as much as we have been builders. However often it is only the human cost that is counted in our myriad conflicts.

Much more can also be lost however. Whether though callous destruction, carelessness or simple vandalism, much of our irreplaceable cultural heritage has been lost. Some of these sites have been lost for centuries, but others were obliterated within the last few years.

Here are seven archaeological sites of immense value which have been recently destroyed.

1. The Temple of Bel at Palmyra, Syria

*This temple, consecrated in 32 AD and dedicated to the* *Mesopotamian* *god Bel, survived two thousand years of conflict and regional destruction, remaining among the best-preserved ruins in all of Syria. However in 2015 ISIS, purportedly looking for buried* *treasure* *at the site, levelled the temple with explosives. The main temple was completely destroyed, and only some of the satellite structures remain (Bernard Gagnon /* *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

2. The Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria

*The Syrian Civil War, twelve years and still ongoing at the time of writing, destroyed many things of extreme archaeological value. Chief amongst these has to be the Great* *Mosque* of Aleppo, and specifically its famous minaret. The Mosque was close to intense fighting between the government forces and the Syrian rebels, and during the exchange on 24 April 2013 the 11th century minaret was destroyed (Adwo / Adobe Stock)

3. Bamiyan Buddhas of Afghanistan

*The* *Bamiyan Buddhas* *were two monolithic statues carved out of the living stone in central* *Afghanistan*. Created in the 6th century AD, a time when the region was ruled by a culture known as the Imperial Hephthalites. The taller of the two statues was over 55m (180 feet) high and both endured until 2001, when they were destroyed on the orders of Taliban founder Mullah Omar (František Řiháček / *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

4. Tombs of the Djinguereber Mosque, Timbuktu, Mali

Built in 1327, the Djinguereber Mosque is one of the three central seats of learning in the ancient University of Timbuktu. However the ancient buildings were caught up in the Battle of Gao fought between secessionists and *Mali* *government forces. During the battle, militant Islamists who described themselves as Ansar Dine (“Defenders of the Faith”) started to destroy the tombs of the complex. Several* *tombs* *were completely destroyed. The minaret, pictured, survived the vandalism (Taguelmoust /* *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

5. The Gates of Nineveh, Iraq

*Nineveh, great capital of the* *Assyrian Empire* *and possible true location of the famous* *Hanging Gardens of Babylon*, is one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. The rich history of the city lasted from Biblical times to the 13th century, and was at one point the largest city in the world. The huge curtain wall which protected Nineveh contained great gatehouses, such as the restored Adab Gate, pictured. This gatehouse was destroyed by ISIS as part of the widespread looting and vandalism of the ancient city in 2016 (Fredarch / *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

6. National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina

*During the* *siege* of Sarajevo between 1992 and 1996, the besieging Army of Republika Srpska set out on a deliberate campaign of cultural destruction. The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in the Sarajevo City Hall, a building known as Vijećnica. During the night from 25 to 26 August 1992 the building was deliberately targeted for *cannon fire* *and much of the library, including the archives holding much of Bosnian and Herzegovinan history, was destroyed (Abdullah kiyga /* *CC BY 3.0*)

7. Ain Dara, Syria

*What is, along with Nineveh, the oldest site on the list is also a personal favorite. I had read about the mysterious Iron Age temple at* *Ain Dara*, with its famous stone lion and strange footprints carved into the entrance steps, and I had always intended to visit. Sadly, it was not to be: the Temple of Ain Dara was destroyed in 2018 when Turkish military planes released unused ordinance on the site. The lion miraculously survived the destruction only to be stolen the following year (I, Sailko / *CC BY-SA 3.0*)

Top Image: The Ain Dara lion, stolen in December 2019. Source: Verity Cridland / CC BY 2.0.

By Joseph Green

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Joseph Green

Joseph Green is editor for Historic Mysteries, which combines his background in English Literature with a lifelong fascination for the strange and the unexplained. Read More