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DESTRUCTION OF SYRIA'S HERITAGE

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Zainab_M
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« on: May 04, 2013, 02:38:14 pm »

Watching the systematic destruction of Islamic sites in Mecca and Medina by the Al-Saud regime has been hurtful enough.  Then came the pillage of antiquities and destruction of historical landmarks in Iraq in 2003.  And now, obliteration of the heritage in Syria starting from the 1st century to the Islamic rule of the Ommayads.   Almost everything raised to the ground, stolen or smashed.

In August 24, 2012 Interpol warned that looting and destruction of Syria's historical treasures had begun but wasn't expected to reach the scale of annihilation as of Iraq.  But that was surmised back in August of 2012.  Now in April 2013, it has gone beyond the scale of Iraq.

A significant number of historical sites in Syria have either filled with rubble or being used as bases by the Salafist terrorist invaders, namely the Al-Nusra Front.   They are said to be specifically targeting historical sites in various Syrian cities.  Countless number of artifacts have gone missing from museums.   Not hard to guess who the thieves are.  Five of Syria's six World Heritage sites have been damaged.  The Museum of Homs has been completely looted.  Except for the contents within the Museum of Damascus, virtually all other museums in the country have been robbed.  Black marketing by looters is rampant who are trading antiques and artifacts for weapons.   Quoting a Lebanese archaeologist, Joanne Farchakh, "Antique dealers are telling me that the markets of Jordan and Turkey are flooded with artifacts from Syria."   In pre-war Syria, tourism contributed more than 15% to the country's revenue.   If Syria survives this brutal invasion, it will surely end up with a substantial deficit in its foreign exchange earnings.  Its entire income through tourism will be lost.

The shrine of Syeda Zainab bint Ali, grand-daughter of the Prophet, daughter of Imam Ali and sister of Imam Hussein, is located in the Syrian capital of Damascus.  The mausoleum is a beautiful piece of structure. The Wahabi clerics in Saudi Arabia have demanded the destruction of Syeda's Zainab's shrine.  Thus, the Salafist terrorists who have infiltrated into Syria have been zealously trying to destroy and demolish it.  Several battles have been fought within its neighborhood.  A car explosion in June 2012 close to the shrine shattered the window panes and ceiling fans, killing several people.   But thus far the shrine has been protected through the stiff resistance of the Syrian Army and also some Hezbollah fighters. 

Similarly, the shrine of Lady Sakina, youngest daughter of Imam Hussein, situated in the Syrian city of Darraya, has been attacked several times by the Saudi sponsored Salafist fighters.  Fierce battles have been fought and in February 2013, the shrine of Lady Sakina was partly damaged.

The most recent attack by armed terrorist groups was on the shrine of Hajar bin Oudai, a companion of the Prophet (sw), the shrine being located in the suburbs of Damascus, in Adra city.  According to the reports available, much of the shrine has been destroyed.  After destroying the shrine, the Salafist terrorists began digging the grave to find the body.  Apart from the savage madness of the act, it was the most accurate illustration of idiocy.  Human body turns into dust after less than 14 years of burial.  Here is a tomb that dates back 1400 years into history.  How can anyone expect to find the body? 

Minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, Syria, blown up by Jabhat al-Nusra during a rebel offensive.  Close to the entrance of Al-Madina Souq, the location of the Mosque is said to be the place where the home of Zachariah, father of John the Baptist, once stood.   The Great Mosque was first built in the 8th century, then re-built periodically through the 11th and 14th centuries.  The minaret, built in 1090 (a thousand years old) was destroyed by rocket propelled grenades in April 24. 

Al-Umery Mosque, one of the oldest 7th century Islamic structures in the southern Syrian city of Daraa (built at the request of the 2nd righteous Caliph, Umer bin Khatab) along with many more unspecified monuments is badly damaged.  Khalid-bin-Walid Mosque in Homs came under terrorist attack and much of it has turned to rubble.

Very fortunately, the Islamic library in Damascus, known as the Az-Zahiriyah Library ( المكتبة الظاهرية‎), is presumably still safe and intact.  There have been no reports yet of any attacks on it, unlike Iraq in 2003 where the entire Quran library was burned, and Islamic books and unique calligraphy dating back to hundreds of years were turned into ashes!  That was a very tearful day for all intellectuals and knowledge seekers.   Robert Fisk describes being present in Baghdad around the time when the museum was looted and Baghdad's Quranic library burned.  He mentions that he "watched the burning of the Koranic library, the flames of 15th-century Korans too bright for the naked eye. I rescued just a few 18th-century Ottoman documents flapping in the breeze down outside."  Tragic!   Let us keep praying the same does not happen to the Islamic library of Damascus.

Az-Zahiriyah School and Library in Damascus dates back to 1277.  It was built by one of the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt named Sultan Baibar who, as an army commander, had inflicted a heavy defeat to the 7th Crusade and to the Mongols.   Az-Zahiriyah began in the 1200s as a school for teaching Quranic sciences. The architectural decorations, carvings and calligraphic writing on the building walls along with its gate showing geometric patterns, make the library one of the most important buildings in Damascus and a great tourist attraction.  Apart from this, there are also a few other medieval Islamic madrassas built in the 12th and 13the centuries known for their exquisite beauty.  One can only pray and hope they stay safe.

The ancient town of Palmyra in central Syria, northwest of Damascus, known for it ruins ranging back to the 1st and 2nd centuries is in a mess after being frequented by foreign fighters launching attacks against the Syrian Army.

Looters, comprising largely of foreign Arab fighters and some local vandals, have broken into one of the Crusader castles (Krak des Chevaliers) in Homs that attracted thousands of tourists every year.  It was one of the best preserved medieval castles in the world. It was also the fortress of Saladin, taken by the Kurds in the 11th century when it came to be called the "Castle of the Kurds". The castle has been robbed.  Homs is completely destroyed.  According to many eye-witnesses, all medieval landmarks including old mosques, old churches, medieval homes and ancient roads of Homs have all vanished.  It's only the debris that needs to be cleared.  Unfortunate, to say the least.

The famous and gorgeous Al-Madina Souq is the largest covered traditional historic market located at the heart of Aleppo.  It dates back to the 14th century, within the major trade route for silk, spices and handcrafts.  It also accommodates the huge storehouses of traders.   Madina Souq is listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site.   At present, much of it lies in ruins.

It's obvious that many archaeological sites have been heavily damaged, turning into battlegrounds and bases of terrorist fighters.  The exact extent of damage is still be known.  But a Lebanese archaeologist, Joanne Farchakh, mentioned something very alarming.  Along the 2nd millennium  BC sites, looters and thugs have dug holes - deep and wide - with the hope of finding and grabbing pre-historic treasures.  In other words, the thugs and smugglers are now in control of much of Syria's archaeological sites.

Numerous Turkish bath houses (hamams)  have been devastated in Aleppo.  According to historians there used to be 175 Turkish baths in Aleppo in the middle ages, until the Mongol invasion that destroyed more than one hundred Turkish hamams.  Until the 1980s onward, there were approximately 50 hamams in Aleppo which are now ruined by Al-Nusra terrorists.

Plenty of breathtaking medieval courtyard houses, unique and archaic stone madrasas and the Ottoman palace are in danger of destruction or probably have been damaged.  Little is known yet, except that Aleppo is locked in chaos where preservation of anything special is next to impossible.

Numerous priceless landmarks in the Old City of Damascus and almost all medieval buildings in the ancient City of Aleppo are in shambles.

Many old fortresses all over Syria that were crowded with tourists taking pictures of these fascinating historical monuments have now been reduced to piles rubble.

These are just a handful of sites mentioned.  Many more legacies lie waste.  Other than whatever is contained within the capital city of Damascus, very little is intact in a country as rich as Syria in heritage.
 
It paints a very gloomy and depressing picture.  If the present trend of barbarism and rapid pace of destruction continues by the savage Salafists goaded by their financiers, the near-future generations of Muslims will be left with no history, no heritage and no identity.

With the rapidly rising death toll in Syria, there arises a moral aspect.  Human life - even a single one - is far more precious than all of a country's rich heritage.   It makes the tragedy of once peaceful Syria still more sorrowful.

Europeans and North Americans do not decry the destruction of heritages in Syria and Iraq as much as they should.  They may think they have already seen extensive devastation of the heritage of Europe during WW2 and also during the Balkan war in the 1990s.  Many ancient cathedrals, convents, palaces, inns and taverns were turned into ruins.  But Europe was never the 'Cradle of Civilizations' like Damascus, Aleppo, Baghdad, Basra and many more surrounding towns and cities of the region.   That is the big difference which would make it easier for them to  sustain the pain of their loss.
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« Reply #1 on: May 06, 2013, 03:21:15 am »

MashAllah, beautifully written sister.  The pics are so exhilarating.  It brings tears into my eyes to think of all these spots being turned into debris and ruins.  As if the destruction of our heritages in Mecca and Medina wasn't enough, additionally it's the destruction of landmarks in Iraq and now Syria.  What next have the demons of Salafism have in mind?
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