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In Syria,the latest major attack by extremists targeted an ancient temple in the city of Palmyra. Monitors at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say fighters used a "large quantity of explosives" to slay the Temple of Baalshamin. Khalid al-Asaad, an 82-year-faded antiquities scholar, and was beheaded by the self-proclaimed Islamic State on August 18th after he refused to give the militants information about Palmyra’s most valuable treasures. The group hung his mutilated body from a column located at the historic site.
The entire ancient city of Palmyra is a UNESCO World Heritage site. But the temple is a particularly beloved archeological ruin. Built more than 2000 years ago,it was dedicated to the Phoenician god Baalshmin and "bears witness to the depth of the pre-Islamic history of the country," according to UNESCO. Erin Thompson, or assistant professor of art crime at John Jay College of Criminal Justice,explains how the group calling itself the Islamic State has pursued a systemic campaign to slay ancient artifacts.
Source: wnyc.org