Conflicts and wars have led to the destruction of historic buildings and monuments. After the devastation caused by World War II, the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was brought into effect. According to the websiteHistory,"The international community strengthened these protections in 1977 with additional protocols to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Article 53 of these protocols prohibits ‘any acts of hostility directed against the historic monuments, works of art or places of worship which constitute the cultural or spiritual heritage of peoples’."
Targeting cultural sites is recognised as a war crime under international law, as it involves the deliberate destruction of, or damage to, buildings and sites dedicated to religion, art, science, education, or historic monuments. Here is a look at seven sites that have faced destruction due to conflicts and wars.
The Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban over several weeks by bombing them, following an order by spiritual leader Mullah Mohammed Omar to destroy what he described as idolatrous statues in Afghanistan.
"On 13 October 2012 the mosque was seriously damaged during clashes between armed groups of the Free Syrian Army and Syrian Army forces," states theMadain Projectwebsite. The minaret of the mosque, which was built in the 11th century, was destroyed during the Syrian Civil War in April 2013.
The Syrian war that began in 2011 caused damage to various heritage sites. "Combats within Bosra took place in December 2015, when pro-government forces tried to root out rebel fighters who had recently taken the city. A courtyard adjacent to a Roman theatre and parts of the Ayyubid Citadel were damaged during the conflict, and the vulnerability of other areas in the ancient city was increased," states the website of theWorld Monuments Fund.
"In 2012, Mali was undergoing a grave political and social crisis. The situation was particularly severe in the north, where two of Mali’s four World Heritage sites, Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia, are located. The region was occupied by armed groups who terrorised the population and deliberately destroyed cultural heritage of inestimable worth to local communities," states the website of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
A mosque dedicated to the prophet Jonah inside the walls of Nineveh was destroyed by ISIS in July 2014. In 2016, ISIS also destroyed the Mashki Gate and Adad Gate as part of its ongoing campaign against cultural sites and relics.
For nearly two millennia, the monument survived and stood as proof of Palmyra's cultural significance along ancient trade routes. The ISIS militants destroyed the temple in August 2015, reducing centuries of irreplaceable heritage to rubble. This attack was followed by the destruction of the Temple of Baalshamin, another ancient religious site in Palmyra.
It was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2006 and became a victim of Syria's civil war between 2012 and 2014. According to a report by Oliver Marsden for Instick, the castle took a direct hit from a shell in 2012 and suffered two airstrikes in 2013. "This led to the destruction of the south-west tower, a staircase, and the priceless Hall of the Knights, with its intricately carved loggia."
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