A satellite image confirms the destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel, as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity.
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ISIS destroys ancient Syrian temple
02:54 - Source: CNN
ISIS destroys antiquities 17 videos
A satellite image confirms the destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel, as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity.
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ISIS destroys ancient Syrian temple
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The Arch of Triumph in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra was built 2,000 years ago.
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A satellite image confirms the destruction of the main building of the Temple of Bel, as well as a row of columns in its immediate vicinity.
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Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria have entered the Unesco World Heritage site of Palmyra after seizing the town next to the ancient ruins. IS has previously demolished ancient sites in Iraq that pre-date Islam. File photo : © Eric Travers/ABACA. 28121-12. Syrie, 08/08/2001. Le temple de Bel de la ville de Palmyre.
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From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. The fabled desert oasis saw its last tourist in September 2011, six months after the Syrian uprising began. It is feared that the ancient city is now under threat from the ISIS militant group.
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The temple of Baal-Shamin in Palmyra, Syria, circa 1960. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
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The temple of Baal-Shamin in Palmyra, Syria, circa 1960. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)
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Caption:CHICAGO, IL -SEPTEMBER 29: Standing in front of a colossal human-headed winged bull which once stood at the entrance of the throne room of King Sargon II (721-705 BC) in Khorsabad, capital of Assyria, Donny George, General Director for Research with the Iraq State Board of Antiquities in Baghdad, answers questions during a news conference at the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute September 29, 2003 in Chicago, Illinois. George was at the university to discuss the latest information on lost and endangered artifacts in Iraq. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Story highlights

The Temple of Bel in Palmyra, Syria, was a historic site for 2,000 years

ISIS could fund future terrorism with looted antiquities

CNN  — 

With hundreds of people dying in Syria every week, why should the world care that ISIS strapped barrels of explosives to the Temple of Bel?

Because the terror group did much more than just blow up a 2,000-year-old temple. It annihilated a significant piece of religious and cultural history, not just for Syria but for the entire world.

And ISIS’ destruction affects not just the past; it also has big ramifications for the present and future. Here’s how:

It helps ISIS’ mission

ISIS is on a murderous campaign to wipe out the histories of Iraq and Syria and replace them with an Islamist state and its brand of Sharia law.

Satellite images show what the ancient Temple of Bel looked like before and after ISIS destroyed it.
Satellite images show what the ancient Temple of Bel looked like before and after ISIS destroyed it.
UNITAR-UNOSAT

Blasting away the temple in Palmyra, Syria, helps ISIS do just that. It’s part of the terror group’s “staged cultural desecration,” wrote Sturt W. Manning, chairman of the Department of Classics at Cornell University.

“The West’s response should be to remember – and to provide educational resources to keep the rich and plural histories of Syria and Iraq alive and available, especially to those presently t