NEW images have emerged from Palmyra, hours after Syrian troops liberated it from DAESH Islamic State barbarians.
The pictures reveal the extent of destruction wrought by the group during their 10-month occupation of the Unesco World Heritage site.
Sadly, the shrapnel-scarred arch shown at the top of this entry is all that remains of the Temple of Bel ... a temple visited by Antinous and Hadrian.
Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said authorities had been "expecting the worst".
Antinous and Hadrian passed by these columns when they entered this fabled "Garden City" in 129 AD.
Since sweeping to power across Iraq and Syria last year, Isil has been systematically erasing signs of their pluralistic histories.
Palmyra has been a particularly egregious target of their hatred.Palmyra was called the "Garden City of the Sands" and scientists say it was TERRA-FARMED to create a lush green oasis of life and civilization in the midst of the desert.
Islamic State fighters have already destroyed two ancient temples at the site, described by Unesco as one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world.
In early October, DAESH destroyed the PALMYRA TRIUMPHAL ARCH through which Hadrian and Antinous strode.
Just weeks ago DAESH blew up the BAALSHAMIN Temple in Palmyra. The photo at right shows how impressive even its ruins were prior to its being blown to bits by DAESH.
The photo at left shows all that is left of the Triumphal Arch now.
The ruins are a testament to the barbaric nature of DAESH renegades.
The photo at left shows all that is left of the Triumphal Arch now.
The ruins are a testament to the barbaric nature of DAESH renegades.
We know Antinous & Hadrian saw it because Hadrian decreed a vast expansion of the temple.
During the DAESH occupation of Palmyra, KHALED ASSAD, an 81-year-old antiquities scholar who devoted his life to understanding Palmyra, was beheaded by DAESH militants, his bloodied body hung on a pole. He had even named his daughter after Zenobia, the queen that ruled from the city 1,700 years ago.
DAESH claims ancient relics promote idolatry and say they are destroying them as part of their purge of paganism. However, they are also believed to sell off looted antiquities, bringing in significant sums of cash.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has been told that DAESH militants have killed 30 suspected gay men for "sodomy" in recent months.
During the DAESH occupation of Palmyra, KHALED ASSAD, an 81-year-old antiquities scholar who devoted his life to understanding Palmyra, was beheaded by DAESH militants, his bloodied body hung on a pole. He had even named his daughter after Zenobia, the queen that ruled from the city 1,700 years ago.
DAESH claims ancient relics promote idolatry and say they are destroying them as part of their purge of paganism. However, they are also believed to sell off looted antiquities, bringing in significant sums of cash.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has been told that DAESH militants have killed 30 suspected gay men for "sodomy" in recent months.
DAESH released a video showing CHILDREN STONING two gay men to death after they had been thrown off a building in Homs Syria. It is one of a grisly series of such gay execution videos.
Last month, DAESH released a video showing two other men accused of being gay THROWN OFF A BUILDING and then stoned by a crowd in Palmyra.
Only a few weeks earlier, more than 25 men were EXECUTED BY CHILDREN at the famous theater in Palmyra.
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