is pillaging iraqi artefacts unesco warns
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
Last Updated : GMT 09:03:51
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Destroy shrines, churches and manuscripts

IS pillaging Iraqi artefacts, UNESCO warns

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today

Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today IS pillaging Iraqi artefacts, UNESCO warns

Kurdish Peshmerga forces look at checkpoint held by militants of IS group
Paris - Arab Today

Islamic State jihadists occupying parts of Iraq are destroying age-old heritage sites and looting others to sell valued artefacts on the black market, experts gathered at UNESCO's Paris headquarters warned Monday.
The extremist group has destroyed shrines, churches and precious manuscripts in Mosul, Tikrit and other areas of Iraq it controls and excavated sites to sell objects abroad, in what UNESCO chief Irina Bokova described as "cultural cleansing".
In July, for instance, IS rigged the Nabi Yunus shrine in the northern city of Mosul -- revered by both Muslims and Christians as the tomb of Prophet Jonah -- with explosives and blew it up.
The radical group advocates an brutal and strict interpretation of Islam, and considers worshipping at graves to be tantamount to idolatry.
"There were explosions that destroyed buildings dating back to the Assyrian era," Baghdad museum director Qais Rashid said according to a translation from Arabic into English, referring to the once powerful, ancient empire.
"Assyrian tablets were stolen and were suddenly found in European cities," he added, warning that the sale of such artefacts was being used to "finance terrorism".
"There are international mafias... that inform Daesh of what can be sold," he said, referring to an alternative name for IS.
Rashid acknowledged that nothing could yet be done to prevent further destruction and looting in IS-controlled territory. "We have to wait and do everything to retake it," he said.
Iraqi authorities have yet to put together a detailed list of what exactly has been destroyed or looted, but Rashid gave a few examples of recent incidents.
"The Mosul museum, the second most important in Iraq, suffered an attack from Daesh and they also attacked the staff from the museum," he said.
In another incident, "Daesh gathered over 1,500 manuscripts from convents and other holy places and burnt all of them in the middle of the city square," he added.
Bokova said she had alerted all UNESCO member states, "as well as the main museums around the world and the art market, Interpol, the World Customs Organisation... by calling for the utmost vigilance over objects that could come from the current looting of Iraqi heritage."
She added that UNESCO had handed over the geographical coordinates of all key heritage sites to countries engaged in air strikes over Iraq to fight IS, to prevent further damage.
The jihadists have also committed widespread atrocities against locals, and experts acknowledged that warning about heritage sites when people were dying could raise eyebrows.
"When people die in their tens of thousands, must we be concerned about cultural cleansing?" asked Philippe Lalliot, France's ambassador to UNESCO.
"Yes, definitely yes.... It's because culture is a powerful incentive for dialogue that the most extreme and the most fanatical groups strive to annihilate it."
Source: AFP

almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

is pillaging iraqi artefacts unesco warns is pillaging iraqi artefacts unesco warns

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

is pillaging iraqi artefacts unesco warns is pillaging iraqi artefacts unesco warns

 



Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017

GMT 09:22 2018 Monday ,22 January

Skincare PR Performance Full Year 2017
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way

GMT 11:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

New hunt for flight MH370 gets under way
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Modern colorful bedroom renovation

GMT 10:57 2017 Thursday ,21 December

Modern colorful bedroom renovation
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president

GMT 13:56 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Puigdemont candidate for Catalan president
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 10:47 2018 Wednesday ,24 January

Turkey detains dozens more

GMT 07:43 2017 Monday ,16 October

'Final phase' of battle for Raqa

GMT 07:58 2011 Monday ,17 October

Chinese stocks close 0.37 pct higher Monday

GMT 13:38 2011 Friday ,11 November

Tips to great skin and hair

GMT 16:57 2017 Tuesday ,24 January

Bahrain condemns attack on market

GMT 19:36 2017 Thursday ,13 April

Despite warning, Assad regime uses barrel bombs

GMT 18:42 2017 Tuesday ,11 April

Muscat Securities Market Loses 29 Points

GMT 11:44 2014 Saturday ,01 November

Arab League council to hold emergency meeting Sunday

GMT 09:21 2011 Monday ,17 October

Tulisa showed on X Factor

GMT 18:08 2017 Tuesday ,17 January

Jordanian Royal Decree Approves Cabinet Reshuffle

GMT 09:07 2011 Sunday ,12 June

Israel to allow limited goods into Gaza

GMT 12:16 2011 Saturday ,18 June

Marilyn Monroe dress stars in Hollywood sale

GMT 13:42 2011 Sunday ,30 October

Watermelon helps reduce atherosclerosis

GMT 21:45 2017 Thursday ,27 April

US dollar exchange rate stable at major banks
Almaghrib Today, almaghrib today
 
 Almaghrib Today Facebook,almaghrib today facebook  Almaghrib Today Twitter,almaghrib today twitter Almaghrib Today Rss,almaghrib today rss  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube  Almaghrib Today Youtube,almaghrib today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

.almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday .almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday almaghribtoday almaghribtoday
almaghribtoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday, Almaghribtoday