Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Since the beginning of the terrorist war, Syrian archaeological sites have been subjected to plunder crimes and theft in areas where terrorists are positioned, as no archaeological site was spared in those areas, illegal excavations were carried out, and the Turkish occupation soldiers were also involved, along with Daesh terrorist organization in those crimes.
Daesh terrorism against the Syrian people has not been separated from the organization terrorism against civilization and the Syrian history as the ideology of the takfiri and dark organization has emerged clearly when its terrorists vandalized Palmyra between the years 2015 and 2017.
The “Baal Shimin” temple in the ancient city was booby-trapped and destroyed, as well as Palmyra theater, which is an icon in civilization and human history.
In addition, the Palmyra tower cemetery was demolished in August 2015. The period of its construction extends from 44 to 103 AD, and large parts of the ancient Temple of Bel, which dates back to the year 32 AD.
The Takfiri organization has also executed the Syrian archaeologist, Khaled Al-Asaad, before they destroyed, in July of the same year, the famous statue of the lion of Al-Lat and eight statues that were found in the tombs of Palmyra .
Daesh was not the only party that committed crimes against Syrian antiquities. With the Turkish occupation forces’ desecration of Afrin in 2018, in cooperation with its mercenaries from the terrorist organizations, it drifted the sites of antiquities and and looted expensive archaeological finds, smuggled and sold them to Global Markets.
Those attacks included most of Afrin’s archaeological sites registered on the national heritage list , including Tal Burj , Abdalo , and , Tal Ain Dara , Tal Jenderes and site of al-Nabi Huri, not to mention that a number of them were subjected to violent bombardment with artillery and aircraft by the Turkish occupation.
Shaza al-Ashkar/ Mazen Eyon
