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[h=4]Islamic State threatens ancient Syrian site with destruction[/h]Dread swept through the archaeological world Thursday with the Islamic State's capture of Palmyra in Syria, placing one of the world's most treasured sites for ancient history at risk for looting or destruction.
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Islamic State fighters have reportedly seized about a third of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra after heavy fighting against the military and allied combatants. Wochit
The ancient Roman city of Palmyra, northeast of Damascus, Syria.(Photo: SANA via AP)
Dread swept through the archaeological world Thursday with the Islamic State's capture of Palmyra in Syria, placing one of the world's most treasured sites for ancient history at risk for looting or destruction.
"I am deeply concerned by the situation," said Irina Bokova, director-general of UNESCO, the United Nations directorate working to safeguard global heritage sites.
Palmyra is the site of an ancient Roman city dating back to the 1st and 2nd centuries where the arid desert climate has acted to preserve structures such as the Temple of Bel, built on an axis that allows the rising sun to fill the interior with natural light.
As a pagan temple, it would be the perfect target for Islamic State extremists, said Amr Al-Azm, associate professor of Middle East History and Anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio.
The extremists have declared creation of a new spiritual caliphate straddling the borders of Iraq and Syria and are committed to eradicating non-Islamic icons of the past. Members have destroyed captured antiquities, burned manuscripts and bombed monasteries and churches.
They've distributed video of fighters pushing over statuary that shatters into pieces. Fighters have also looted ancient sites, selling artifacts to raise money for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
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"It's a very powerful propaganda message," said Al-Azm. "What it says is that ISIS can act with impunity, that they are very powerful and at the same time, the other half of the message is that the international community is impotent."
The success by the militants comes just two days after Islamic State forces captured the provincial capital of Ramadi in Iraq, driving back government forces there.
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Voices: Priceless ancient city threatened by Islamic State
Palmyra was given up to the Islamic State by retreating and dispirited Syrian forces. Scholars hold out little hope that it will be recaptured any time soon.
"It's a tragedy that it was lost," Al-Azm said. "Palmyra being a world heritage site is a prime target for this kind of cultural heritage atrocity."
At least some of the ancient art had been saved, the Associated Press reported. Homs governor Talal Barazzi Abdulkarim said workers were able to rescue hundreds of statues and masterpieces from Palmyra, transporting them to safe houses in Damascus. "But how do you save colonnades that weigh a ton? How do you save temples and cemeteries and, and, and?" he asked.
A partial view of the theater in Palmyra.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Joseph Eid,AFP/Getty Images)
It was unclear Thursday how close to Palmyra's famed archaeological site the militants had advanced, activists said, adding that Syrian soldiers were seen fleeing the area, according to the Associated Press.
The towering structures of Roman-Greco architecture have stood for centuries, safeguarded by previous conquering forces that recognized its historical value. But there was little hope this respect for ancient historical heritage would withstand destruction or looting by the militants.
USA TODAY
Islamic State seizes ancient town of Palmyra in Syria
Tourists by the thousands visited the remote desert location prior to the Syrian war.
Capturing the city allow the Islamic State fighters a more direct route to Damascus and the Syrian Coast. Islamic fighters had already taken control of nearly gas and oil fields, able now to market the production to raise additional monies.
People ride bicycles near ruins in the ancient city of Palmyra in this photo from 2014.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Joseph Eid, AFP/Getty Images)
"I am terrified," said Maamoun Abdulkarim, Syria's director-general of antiquities and museums. "This is a PR battle for Daesh, and they will insist on scoring victory against civilization by destroying" the ancient ruins, he said, using the Arabic acronym for the group.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that government forces collapsed in the face of Islamic State attacks and withdrew from Palmyra late Wednesday.
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