ISIS News: Palmyra Getting Wiped Out by Terror Group, Historian Talks Temple of Bel before Bombing
Palmyra was once a city that homed some of the world's most treasured ruins, but a new report says the ruins may be totally wiped out of the map.
Historian Simon Mills spoke to CNN and shared his insights about the recent attacks on the ruins, leaving nothing but rubble and remnants of the site that once attracted many tourists and travelers.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for bombing the first-century AD Temple of Bel, and while the previous site showed strong pillars that have stood for ages, new satellite images reveal that there is almost nothing left of the beautiful temple that the people of Palmyra protected before the city was attacked by terrorists.
Just recently, three tower tombs in the ruins of Palmyra were demolished in what Maamoun Abdulkarim calls "the destruction of a civilization." Abdulkarim is Syria's director-general of antiquities and museums and he has become witness of the extremists' atrocities against the site's "glorious past."
Mills recalled the story of one William Hallifax, an English clergyman who resided in the city of Aleppo and was one of the travelers who saw the ancient glory of Palmyra. Hallifax described the Temple of Bel during the late 17th century as an eternal beauty, noting that he was particularly drawn by the carvings on the cellar. "I never saw Vines and Clusters of Grapes cut in Stone so Bold, so Lively, and so Natural, in any place," he said.
The ruins later became a site of interest by many travelers who journeyed in that side of the country, and while it was described as nothing short of art, literature, and beauty, the pillars have now been reduced to ashes and piles of what was left from the Islamic State's bombing attacks.
The Temple of Bel has stood its ground for many years, allowing tourists to relive the memories of a civilization that spoke of a rich culture and artistic lifestyle. While the ISIS continues to batter what is left of the ruins, it seems the sites will continue to fall until there comes a force enough to take down the most feared terror group today.
