2,000-year-old Syrian temple ‘still standing’ after IS tries to blow it up

Islamic State has tried to destroy the Temple of Bel in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, – but appears to have failed to bring it down. The militants exploded a large bomb at the complex where they blew up the smaller Baal Shamin temple last week. Witnesses said the Temple of Bel had been left severely damaged by the attack, claiming “the bricks and the columns are on the ground”. However, Syria antiquities chief said that the basic structure of the temple, its columns and sanctum, were still intact, although officials were unable to get close enough to assess the damage.

An explosion the deaf would hear.

Nasser al Thaer, eyewitness

The Bel Temple was well preserved and had been considered one of the greatest sites of the ancient world, much to the pride of Syrians. Earlier this week, photos circulated by IS supporters appeared to show the extremist group blowing up the Baal Shamin temple. UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organisation, has described the destruction of these ancient structures as a “war crime”. Earlier in August, it emerged that Khaled Assad, an 82-year-old antiquities scholar who had looked after Palmyra’s ruins for more than four decades, has been beheaded by IS.

This is the most devastating act yet in my opinion. It truly demonstrates ISIS’s ability to act with impunity and the impotence of the international community to stop them

Former Syrian antiquities official Prof Amr al-Azm

Palmyra Middle East