Temple of Bel in Syria damaged by ISIS in explosion

By Lorraine Caballero, Christian Post Contributor Tuesday, September 01, 2015

The Temple of Bel, touted as the most important temple in Palmyra, Syria, has been damaged in an explosion caused by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Sunday, a rights group said.

Despite the explosion, the columns of the Temple of Bel are still intact, Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim said on Monday. The explosion occurred inside the temple walls but the extent of the damage is still undetermined, according to CNN.

"We are waiting for details on the truth of what occurred, the exact location inside the temple, and the size of the destruction," CNN quotes Abdulkarim.

The explosion at the Temple of Bel comes in the wake of the ISIS' destruction of another ancient temple in Palmyra, a city which the group had taken control of in May.

In a telephone interview, Abdulkarim relayed a witness account saying the temple, which stands on a raised terrace, is still visible from a distance. However, they could not assess the damage done by the massive explosion unless ISIS released an image of the Temple of Bel, The Guardian reports.

Abdulkarim described the Temple of Bel, which has stood for almost 2,000 years now, as the "most important" temple in their country and is Palmyra's center of religion. It is also among the most important temple in the Middle East, the report details.

UK-based organization Syrian Observatory for Human rights said the explosion caused by ISIS damaged part of the temple.

ISIS has been known for its brutal destruction of antiquities and its merciless killings. The Islamic extremist group recently executed 82-year-old Khaled al-As'ad who had dedicated his whole life to preserving Palmyra's antiquities. He was killed because he refused to tell ISIS where the other valuable relics were stored, the report relays.

Last week, ISIS confirmed via uploaded photos that it had destroyed the temple of Baal Shamin in Palmyra. The terrorist group perceives the Temple of Bel and other ancient artifacts and structures as a form of idolatry.