Notre Dame evokes humanity's other losses in Mideast
Monday's blaze at Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral brings to mind other historic landmarks and treasures humanity has lost in recent years during civil wars in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
- World
- Published Date: 04:24 | 18 April 2019
- Modified Date: 04:37 | 18 April 2019
While Notre Dame's roof and steeple fell victim to an accidental fire, the landmarks in the Muslim countries were destroyed deliberately by explosives.
Palmyra, Syria
Terrorist group Daesh occupied Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, between 2015 and 2017, and destroyed many of its historic monuments.
Daesh demolished Palmyra's ancient Lion of Al-lat statue as well as several other majestic statues such as the first-century Temple of Baal Shamin, Temple of Bel, and second-century Tower of Elahbel.
Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria
The Great Mosque of Aleppo, also known as Jami Halab al-Kabir or the Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the war-ravaged Syrian city of Aleppo.
The 114-feet-high stone minaret was built in 1090, and was destroyed by the Syrian regime during fighting in the Syrian civil war in 2013. It has been under renovation since 2017.
Mosque of the Prophet Jonah (Nabi Younis), Mosul, Iraq
In June 2014, Daesh also destroyed the 1,300-year-old Mosque of the Prophet Jonah in Mosul, Iraq, which is believed to be the burial place of the Prophet Jonah.
Great Mosque of al-Nuri, Mosul, Iraq
Famous for its leaning minaret, which gave the city its nickname "the hunchback," the al-Nuri Mosque was destroyed by Daesh during the 2017 Battle of Mosul.
Buddhas of Bamyan, Kabul, Afghanistan
Built in the sixth century in the Bamyan Valley in Hazarajat, central Afghanistan, 230 kilometers (140 miles) northwest of Kabul, two monumental statues of Gautama Buddha were destroyed in March 2001 by the Taliban.