Maamoun Abdulkarim, said on Monday that witnesses in Palmyra had confirmed that the nearly two-thousand-year-old Arch of Triumph had been blown up.
We have received news from the site that the Arch of Triumph was destroyed yesterday (Sunday). IS (ISIL) booby-trapped it several weeks ago, he said.
The arch has been described as one of the most exquisite sites on the World Heritage list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
This is a systematic destruction of the city. They want to raze it completely, the Syrian official warned, calling on the international community to find a way to save the oasis city.
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The picture taken on January 13, 2009 shows an aerial view of a part of the world-renowned ancient city of Palmyra. (AFP photo)[/caption]Known as the Pearl of the Desert, the ancient oasis town of Palmyra was listed as a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1980.
The Daesh militant group, which controls parts of land in Syria and Iraq, overran the historic city in the central Homs Province on May 21.Since then the terrorist group has blown up a number of temples and mined other monuments.
By Press TV
