Iraq’s ancient Christian monastery destroyed
Like the Taliban which destroyed the priceless Bamiyan Biddhas, the Islamic State (IS) militants have been equally destructive on ancient cultural sites in Syria and Iraq.
By : migrator
Update: 2016-01-20 22:31 GMT
Reports say IS has reduced the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq to a field of rubble.
For 1,400 years the compound survived assaults by nature and man, standing as a place of worship recently for US troops. In earlier centuries, generations of monks tucked candles in the niches and prayed in the cool chapel. The Greek letters chi and rho, representing the first two letters of Christ’s name, were carved near the entrance.
Now satellite photos obtained exclusively by The Associated Press confirm the worst fears of church authorities and preservationists. St Elijah’s Monastery of Mosul has been completely wiped out.
In his office in exile in Irbil, Iraq, the Rev. Paul Thabit Habib, 39, stared at the images and said, “Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled,”
IS Handiwork
- IS, a break-away faction of al-Qaida controls large parts of Iraq and Ayria
- Has killed thousands of civilians and forced out many more Christians '
- Destroyed over 100 historically and culturally important buildings it considers contrary to its interpretation of Islam.
- Has defaced ancient monuments in Nineveh, Palmyra and Hatra.
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