© Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters A general view shows the damage at the ancient al-Atroush mosque in the old city of Aleppo, Syria January 28, 2016.
The destruction of the ancient city of Palmyra has made a real impact, but in fact
each and every ancient site in Syria inscribed on the World Heritage List has suffered during the five years of conflict. RT looks back at unique landmarks shattered by military action.
Palmyra Before Islamic State's (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) arrival, Palmyra, which means
"City of Palms", was a revered open-air museum just 210 km from the Syrian capital Damascus. The unique landmark, described by UNESCO as an
"oasis in the Syrian desert" was captured by Islamic State in May of 2015.
Before the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011, over 150,000 tourists visited the city every year. The jewel of the ancient ruins at the UNESCO heritage site in Palmyra - the iconic Arch of Triumph - was blown up by IS extremists engaged in what has been dubbed as
"cultural cleansing" of the Middle East.
"This new destruction of culture in Palmyra reflects the brutality and ignorance of extremist groups and their disregard for local communities and the Syrian people," Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, said.
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