Media reports of Palmyra under Syria state control
Nik MartinMarch 27, 2016
Regime forces backed by Russian airstrikes have taken full control of Palmyra after a three-week battle, state media report. A monitoring group says hundreds of extremists have been killed.
Image: Reuters/Sana
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Syrian television quoted an unnamed military source as saying the army and its militia allies took "complete control over the city of Palmyra" on Sunday.
"After heavy fighting during the night, the army is in full control of Palmyra - both the ancient site and the residential neighborhoods," a military source told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
Over the past few days, government forces have recaptured several districts of the ancient oasis city, which is home to several Roman-era ruins.
Regime troops have been trying for three weeks to retake the town, which was seized by the "Islamic State" (IS) militant group in May.
IS in retreat
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that there was still gunfire in the eastern part of the city on Sunday morning but that most IS fighters had retreated further east.
The ancient city was captured by IS in MayImage: Getty Images/AFP/J. Eid
AFP reported that army sappers were defusing mines and bombs planted by IS in the ancient ruins.
IS lost at least 400 fighters in the battle for Palmyra, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group.
"That's the heaviest losses that IS has sustained in a single battle since its creation," Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Most ruins intact
IS' seizure of the Palmyra ruins had led to fears that the UNESCO world heritage site, which is also known as the "Pearl of the Desert," would be left in ruins. The group blew up two of the site's treasured classical temples, its triumphal arch and a dozen tower tombs.
Syrian forces have tried to retake the city for three weeksImage: picture-alliance/dpa/V. Sharifulin
It also used Palmyra's ancient amphitheater as a venue for public executions, including the beheading of the city's 82-year-old former antiquities chief.
His replacement told the Reuters news agency that many of the ancient landmarks were still standing.
Despite Moscow pulling most of its military out of Syria over the past two weeks, Russian warplanes have continued to hit IS targets, conducting more than 40 combat sorties on Friday and Saturday, targeting "158 terrorist" positions, according to the Russian defense ministry.
Closing in on Raqqa
Analysts said the recapture of Palmyra has opened up much of Syria's eastern desert, making it easier for regime troops to move on to IS' de facto capital of Raqqa in the north of Syria.
IS has lost more ground in recent months after it was driven out of the Iraqi cities of Ramadi, Tikrit and the Syrian town of al-Shadadi.
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.