Friday, March 6, 2015

Nimrud: Outcry as IS bulldozers attack ancient Iraq site

Archaeologists and officials have expressed outrage about the bulldozing of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud by Islamic State militants in Iraq.
IS began demolishing the site, which was founded in the 13th Century BC, on Thursday, according to Iraqi officials.
The head of the UN's cultural agency condemned the "systematic" destruction in Iraq as a "war crime".
IS, which controls large areas of Iraq and Syria, says shrines and statues are "false idols" that have to be smashed.
"They are erasing our history," said Iraqi archaeologist Lamia al-Gailani.
Ancient statue of a winged bull with a human face at the archaeological site of Nimrud, south of Mosul in northern Iraq, in 2001 IS says ancient shrines and statues are "false idols"
Iraqi workers clean a statue at an archaeological site in Nimrud, 35km (22 miles) southeast of Mosul, northern Iraq, in 2001 Nimrud (pictured) lies just south-east of Mosul, which IS controls
Assyrian relief Remarkable bas-reliefs, ivories and sculptures have been discovered in Nimrud
Man walks past two ancient Assyrian winged bull statues at Iraq's National Museum in Baghdad on 1 March 2015 Some Nimrud artefacts have been moved - such as these statues now housed in Baghdad
 

2 comments:

  1. When I read this it set my mind reeling. Where is the international outrage? Anything to say, Obama?

    Sickening!

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  2. Anon..There's no shortage of "international outrage". The problem is how to deal with IS. The "coalition"s air strikes have limited effect but the people themselves are fighting back and making a progress. Slow but happening.

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