Isis released photos of how it destroyed the Baalshamin temple in PalmyraTwitter/Charlie Winter Isis released photos of how it destroyed the Baal Shamin temple in Palmyra.Twitter/Charlie Winter nullTwitter
The Islamic State blew up the 2,000-year-old Baalshamin temple in Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Sunni terror group supporters' Twitter accounts uploaded photographs showing the destruction.
The Isis has been steadily destroying the ancient ruins in Palmyra ever since it overran the Syrian city in May.
The photos released on Twitter of the destruction of the Baalshamin temple show explosives tied to pillars of the Roman-era structure, which is then seen covered in a thick cloud of smoke. Other photos show the destroyed columns of the temple standing amidst rubble.
#Syria: #IS has just released a photo report depicting the demolition of the Temple of Ba'l Shamin in #Palmyra. pic.twitter.com/5DP9FdsZ4x
— Charlie Winter (@charliewinter) August 25, 2015
The Isis "placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin today and then blew it up causing much damage to the temple," Syria's antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim had told AFP on Sunday.
The UNESCO chief has called the destruction of the Palmyra temple a "new war crime" by the terror group, also known as "Daesh".
"This destruction is a new war crime and an immense loss for the Syrian people and for humanity. Daesh (Isis) is killing people and destroying sites, but cannot silence history and will ultimately fail to erase this great culture from the memory of the world," Irina Bokova had said in a statement.
UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon had referred to the destruction of the temple as a "barbaric act".
The Baalshamin temple was built in 17AD and was expanded by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 130AD.
