ISIS destroys ancient Baalshamin temple in Palmyra

The ancient ruins of Palmyra. — (Image credit: Twitter.com/AJENews)

Islamic State militants have demolished the ancient temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria's antiquities chief said.

The temple dates back to the early 1st century AD, and is dedicated to the Phoenician god of storms and fertilizing rains. ISIS "placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin today and then blew it up causing much damage to the temple," Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP on Sunday. He said the inner area of the temple was "destroyed" and the columns around it collapsed. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that area residents reported the destruction one month ago.

ISIS took control of Palmyra in May, and last week executed Khaled Asaad, 82, who served as Palmyra's antiquities scholar for more than 50 years.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.