Activists say ancient temple in Palmyra damaged by ISIS

(Image credit: Twitter.com/CBSNews)

published 31 August 2015

On Sunday, Islamic State militants used more than 30 tons of explosives to blow up part of the Temple of Bel in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, sources said.

The largest structure in the city, the Temple of Bel was constructed in 32 AD and was well preserved. Activists in the area and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say the temple was damaged, just a week after ISIS blew up the Baal Shamin temple. ISIS captured Palmyra from Syrian government forces in May, and UNESCO chief Irina Bokova said the militants in both Syria and Iraq are behind "the most brutal, systematic" destruction of ancient artifacts since World War II, Al Jazeera reports.

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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.

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