"Islamic State" militants have demolished a monastery in Syria and transferred several dozen Christians to a site near its stronghold. Extremists used bulldozers to raze the Christian site to the ground.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Islamischer Staat
Advertisement
The Mar Elian monastery, whose origins date back to the fourth century, was destroyed by “Islamic State” (IS) militants who published a photo online (pictured above) purporting to show the destruction.
The IS militants justified the destruction by saying that St. Elian, a Christian martyr from the third century, was worshipped in the monastery in the town of Qaryatain, German news magazine "Der Spiegel" reported.
The monastery, which has been repeatedly rebuilt and restored over the centuries, was one of the most important centers of the Syrian Catholic church, with the feast of St. Elian drawing thousands of pilgrims to the site every September.
IS captured the strategically-located town of Qaryatain in the central province of Homs in early August, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday.
Dozens of Christian hostages moved to IS stronghold
The Mar Elian monastery in Syria before it was demolished by "Islamic State" militantsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/Islamischer Staat
IS has also transferred several dozen Christians captured during its offensive to a location near its stronghold in Raqqa in northeastern Syria, the monitor said.
Islamic State militants captured 230 people, including dozens of Christian families, after taking Qaryatain, the monitor had reported at the time.
It claims that of those captured, 48 had been released and 110 were transferred to Raqqa province, whose capital city Raqqa is the extremist group's stronghold in Syria.
The Christians would be given the choice of conversion to Islam or paying "jizya", a tax on non-Muslims, according to the monitor, which tracks the violence of Syria's civil war through an extensive network of sources on the ground.
It is not yet known what has happened to the remaining 70 people captured after the seizure of Qaryatain.
Among them were 45 women and 19 children, including 11 families, some of whom were on a militants' wanted list, said the monitor.
IS considers Christians as infidels and has killed members of religious minorities and Sunni Muslims who do not swear allegiance to its self-declared "caliphate."
IS increasing territory near Homs
Government warplanes were still targeting the area with air strikes two weeks after the terror group took the town, the monitor said.
The Syrian army launched a large-scale counteroffensive to recapture the city, which lies in a region where some of Syria's largest gas fields are located, but so far it has made no significant advances.
mh/rg (AFP, Reuters)
Palmyra: Destruction of an oasis of cultural history
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most beautiful ruined cities in the Middle East. Now the "Islamic State" has seized the area and started destroying these ancient structures.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Scholz
Ancient temple destroyed
This part of the World Heritage site in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria no longer exists: "Islamic State" militants have blown up the 2,000-year-old temple of Baal Shamin. The inner area of the temple and the columns collapsed through the explosion. The rest of the ancient city remains strongly at risk.
Image: by-sa-Longbow4u
Ruins in a desert oasis
The ruins of Palmyra lie right in the middle of the Syrian desert. The once prosperous metropolis was surrounded by palms - hence its name - and for centuries was a stop for caravans traveling to the Silk Road. The settlement was a center of wealth and trade. But, gradually, the golden age faded, and sand blew over the city. The ruins were later excavated, and given World Heritage status in 1980.
Image: Fotolia/bbbar
Temple of Baal
In the 1st century AD, the Palmyrenes built a grand Roman-style temple for the deity Baal. It formed the center of religious life in Palmyra, which joined the Roman Empire under Emperor Tiberius some time after 14 AD. It is scarred with bullet holes - stark reminders of the ongoing Syrian civil war.
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/F. Neukirchen
Avenue of treasures
Created in the 2nd century, the Great Colonnade stretches on for more than a kilometer (0.6 miles). Spices, perfumes, precious stones and other treasures once passed down this magnificent colonnaded boulevard. The avenue's entrance is marked by Hadrian's Arch, built in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. It's a fine example of the Greco-Roman style, extremely popular at the time.
Image: Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
Roman monument
The Tetrapylon of Palmyra was built on a crossroads. The four groups of slender pillars, each supporting an alcove, were made of red granite brought in from the quarries of Aswan. Each one used to house statues. Today, almost all the columns are replicas. Only one is an original.
Image: Fotolia/waj
Oriental drama
Palmyra bore many characteristics of a Greco-Roman city. It had a portico, thermal baths and an amphitheater. Many oriental dramas were performed on this stage. Unfortunately, the plays, written in Aramaic, haven't survived. In addition to being a theater, the arena was also used for battles between gladiators and animals.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Marczok
Forum of high society
Some 200 statues of important individuals once stood here, taking up honored positions in the porticoes of the agora, or main square. In the agora's southwestern corner the remains of a building where the city council likely held its meetings can be seen. The council was made up of representatives from influential merchant families, responsible for shaping the fortunes of the desert city.
Image: picture-alliance/Robert Harding World Imagery/C. Rennie
Ornate burial
There are a number of burial grounds just outside the city gates. Large families built tall towers housing ornate sarcophagi and tombs big enough for several generations. There are also many underground gravesites decorated with rich architectural flourishes and frescoes that hint at the daily life and wealth of that period.
Image: Imago/A. Schmidhuber
Impending destruction?
In 300 AD, Palmyra became a military base, and came under the power of a string of different rulers. The golden age faded, and the city's splendor was covered up by the desert sand. The city's ruins survived the civil war raging in the country since 2011, but now, the ancient city is under threat from "Islamic State" militants, and UNESCO fears it could face a tragic fate.
