Militants kill IG funerary towers in Palmyra – BBC Russian

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Funerary towers of sandstone have been established outside the city walls in the Valley of tombs to the south and west of Palmyra

jihadists from the group “Islamic State” destroyed three ancient burial Tower in Palmyra. Told the head of the Syrian Department for the Protection of Historical Heritage Mamun Abdelkarim.

According to him, the militants killed, “the best preserved and most beautiful” towers, which were created in the period between 44th and 103 years BC.

Facilities sandstone were established outside the city walls of tombs in the Valley to the south and west of Palmyra. In the valley there are towers of various sizes, they were built for wealthy families. Tower divided into compartments where the sarcophagus was placed with the deceased. They were later covered with slabs of stone with carvings of the deceased and stained in bright colors.

The destruction of the towers took place shortly after dzhigadisty IG undermined two main temple of the ancient complex in Palmyra.

Image copyright AP

Image caption Before beginning of the conflict in Syria, Palmyra visited annually by more than 150 thousand tourists

September 1, UN released satellite photos that indicate that the militants destroyed the ancient temple of Bel, built in ’32 BC.

Earlier, the network appeared satellite imagery exploded Islamists Temple of Baal Shamin, who was considered one of the most significant monuments of late antiquity.

The jihadists explain their intolerance of Syrian antiquities that they are “manifestations of polytheism”.

Action “Islamic state” took control of Palmyra in the middle of May.

The current in Syria and Iraq group is recognized as a terrorist organization in many countries, including Russia.

Palmyra – UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the city of architectural monuments of the first and second century AD: more than a thousand columns, the Roman aqueduct, more than 500 tombs. Prior to the conflict in Syria’s Palmyra visited annually by more than 150 thousand tourists.

The modern city of Palmyra, which the locals called Tadmor, is located on a strategically important road between Damascus and the city of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria.