- Activists forced to smash up statues after ISIS militants discovered them
- The activist was also publicly flogged for trying to save the statues
- ISIS have previously destroyed countless statues in Mosul Museum
Published:
14:44 GMT, 2 July 2015
|
Updated:
16:39 GMT, 2 July 2015790
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New
photos have emerged of ISIS destroying a number of historic statues from
the ancient archaeological site of Palmyra in Syria.
An
activist had been attempting to smuggle the statues out of Palmyra only
for the statues to be uncovered when he was caught by the militant
group.
As
punishment for his crime, pictures show the activist being publicly
flogged after being forced to use a hammer to destroy the statues he had
been trying to save from ISIS.
The
photos provide more evidence that the brutal jihadis remain hell bent
on eradicating any trace of Syria and Iraq's rich heritage.
Scroll down for video:
ISIS militants use heavy duty sledgehammers to destroy the historic statues in front of a large crowd
The statues were discovered and deemed icons under ISIS's radical interpretation of Shariah law
After carrying out the humiliating destruction of the statues, the activist was publicly flogged
According to the ISIS statement which accompanied the pictures, the historical statues are described as 'contraband'.
It claims that activists had been trying to smuggle out the statues, fearing their destruction at the hands of ISIS.
Watched
on by a large crowd, a bearded militant reads out a statement.
According to the captions, the statues were cleared for destruction
after being passed through an Islamic Court.
The shocking photos go on to show the activist being force to help an ISIS militant smash the seven statues into pieces.
One of the statues appears to be of Zenobia, the 3rd century queen of the Palmyrian empire in Syria
With his bulging black suicide vest strapped tightly to his waist, an ISIS militant reads out the crime
Carried out of the vehicle, the historic artifacts are placed on the ground in front of a large crowd
ISIS have previously destroyed a number of religious sites including the tomb of Jonah (Yunus) in Iraq
This despicable destruction of Syria's
heritage was carried out in front of a large crowd, who appear to be
cheering on the atrocity.
Governed
by a radical interpretation of Shariah law, ISIS deem the statues a
form of iconoclasm and worth of immediate destruction.
Closeup
images of the statues reveal one of the statues to be Zenobia, the
Queen of the Palmyrian Empire in Syria during 3rd century.
Zenobia was lauded for her famous rebellion against the Roman empire after she invaded Egypt and Anatolia.
A depraved ISIS militants takes a hammer to the delicate statues, taken from the archaeological site
Watching on the destruction of their history, the event was well attended by locals, including many children
Seemingly unmoved by the historic travesty, one man watches on as the statues are destroyed
The statue smashing took place in the Syrian province of Aleppo, where ISIS have made considerable gains
Many fighters, still wearing their holsters and carrying their weapons, came out to watch the event
The legacy of Syria's once great empire lies in wait. The statues depicts kings and queens from the past
Archaeologists
had feared for some time that the group would have no mercy with
Syria's historic artefacts when the jihadists rapidly seized the Syrian
city of Palmyra.
Also known in Arabic as Tadmur, the city is situated near one of the oldest historical sties in the Middle East.
Jihadists
quickly posted photos from within the stunningly well preserved city
of Palmyra, drawing fears that ISIS would destroy the once Roman
occupied site.
ISIS have previously destroyed a number of archaeological sites including Nimrod, in Iraq
It is expected that ISIS will destroy
more historic artefacts from the archeological sites as the look to
impose their control in the city of Palmyra
These fears stem from ISIS's repeated history of destroying historic artefacts and non-Sunni religious sites in Iraq and Syria.
An
ISIS video emerged of jihadists using power tools to destroy statues in
Mosul's main museum. The faces of mythical lamussa statues were hacked
off and human faces were smashed to pieces.
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