Since 2014, the Islamic State (IS) has destroyed cultural heritage on an unprecedented scale, primarily in Iraq and Syria, but also in Libya. These attacks and demolitions targeted a variety of ancient and medieval artifacts, museums, libraries, and places of worship, among other sites of importance to human history. Between June 2014 and February 2015, the Islamic State's Salafi jihadists plundered and destroyed at least 28 historic religious buildings in Mosul alone. Many of the valuables that were looted during these demolitions were used to bolster the economy of the IS.

Along with antique Mesopotamian sites of significance, the IS inflicted particularly cataclysmic levels of damage upon Iraqi Christian heritage. It also destroyed Islamic sites that it declared to be in contradiction of that which is permissible in its ideology.

Motivation

IS justifies the destruction of cultural heritage sites by its Salafism, which, according to its followers, places "great importance on establishing tawhid [monotheism]" and "eliminating shirk [polytheism]". Thus there is an ideological underpinning to their destruction of historical and cultural heritage sites. IS views its actions in sites like Palmyra and Nimrud as being in accordance with Sunni Islamic tradition.

Beyond the ideological aspects of the destruction, there are other, more practical, reasons behind IS's destruction of historic sites. They gained international attention through the resulting extensive media coverage and international condemnation. Destroying historic ruins also allowed IS to remove traces of previous culture or civilization. IS has also been making use of the looted antiquities to finance its activities. Despite the UN's ban on the trade of artifacts looted from Syria since 2011, the group has been smuggling these artifacts out of the Middle East and on to the underground antique markets of Europe and North America.

Destroyed heritage

Mosques and shrines In 2014, media reported destruction of multiple religious buildings belonging to both Sunni and Shia sects throughout areas captured by IS. Among them were the tomb of Ibn al-Athir, Imam Abbas Mosque in Mosul, the Sheikh Jawad Al-Sadiq Mosque, Tomb of Sayyid Ar-Mamut Baba, Hamu al-Qadu Mosque, Martyrs' Mosque, Saad Ibn Aqeel Shrine in Tal Afar, the Sufi Ahmed al-Rifai Shrine and Sheikh Ibrahim's shrine in Mahlabiya District.

In Mosul, IS also targeted several tombs with shrines built over them. In July 2014, IS destroyed one of the tombs of prophet Daniel and the tomb and mosque of the prophet Jonah with explosives, as well as the tomb of Prophet Jirjis (George). The same month, IS also destroyed the 13th-century Mausoleum of Imam Awn Al-Din in Mosul, one of the few structures to have survived the 13th-century Mongol invasion. The destruction was mostly carried out with explosives, but in some cases bulldozers were used.

On 24 September 2014, the Al-Arba'een Mosque in Tikrit, containing forty tombs from the Umar era, was blown up. The building also contained two shrines, one dedicated to Sitt Nafisa and the other dedicated to Amr ibn Jundab al-Ghafari.

On 26 February 2015, IS blew up the 12th century Green Mosque in central Mosul.

In March 2015, IS bulldozed to the ground the Hamu Al-Qadu Mosque in Mosul, dating back to 1880. The Hamu-Al-Qadu mosque contained an earlier tomb of Ala-al-din Ibn Abdul Qadir Gilani. In the same year IS ordered the removal of all decorative elements and frescoes from mosques in Mosul, even those containing Quranic verses that mention Allah. They were described by IS as "an erroneous form of creativity, contradicting the basics of sharia". At least one imam in Mosul opposing that order was shot to death.

In 2016, IS destroyed the Minaret of Anah in Al Anbar Province, which dates back to the Abbasid Caliphate. The minaret was only rebuilt in 2013 after its destruction by an unknown perpetrator during the Iraqi Civil War in 2006.السياحة والآثار تفتتح مئذنة "عنه" في الأنبار بعد ترميمها . Al-Mada Newspaper. Retrieved December 29, 2017.داعش يفجر قلعة عنه الاثرية . Al-Garbiya. Retrieved December 29, 2017.

In 2017, IS destroyed the Great Mosque of al-Nuri and its leaning minaret. This was the mosque where IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the establishment of the Islamic State caliphate three years prior. IS claimed that the mosque had been bombed by the joint forces opposing IS, but video analysis indicated the mosque was destroyed with charges placed by IS.

Churches and monasteries

In June 2014, it was reported that IS elements had been instructed to destroy all churches in Mosul. Since then, most churches within the city have been destroyed. The Virgin Mary Church was destroyed with several improvised explosive devices in July 2014. Dair Mar Elia, the oldest monastery in Iraq, was demolished sometime between late August and September 2014. The destruction went unreported until January 2016. The Al-Tahera Church, built in the early 20th century, was possibly blown up in early February 2015. St Markourkas Church, a 10th-century Chaldean Catholic church, was destroyed on 9 March 2015, according to the Iraqi government official Dureid Hikmat Tobia. A nearby cemetery was also bulldozed. Another church, which was reportedly "thousands of years" old, was blown up in July 2015. According to Kurdish sources, four children were inadvertently killed when the church was destroyed. The Sa'a Qadima Church, which was built in 1872, was blown up in April 2016.

IS also blew up or demolished a number of other churches elsewhere in Iraq or in Syria. The Armenian Genocide Memorial Church in Deir ez-Zor, Syria was blown up by IS militants on 21 September 2014.

On 24 September 2014 IS militants destroyed with improvised explosive devices the 7th-century Green Church (also known as St Ahoadamah Church) belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East in Tikrit.

The Mar Behnam Monastery in Khidr Ilyas near Bakhdida, Iraq was destroyed by IS in March 2015.

On 4 May 2015, IS were reported to have destroyed the Assyrian Christian Virgin Mary Church on Easter Sunday (5 April) in the Syrian town of Tel Nasri. "As the 'joint forces' of Kurdish People's Protection Units and local Assyrian fighters attempted to enter the town", IS set off the explosives destroying what remained of the church. IS had controlled the church since 7 March 2015.

On 21 August 2015, the historic Monastery of St. Elian near Al-Qaryatayn in the Homs Governorate was destroyed by IS.

Ancient and medieval sites

In May 2014, IS members smashed a 3,000-year-old neo-Assyrian statue from Tel Ajaja. Later reports indicated that over 40% of the artifacts at Tel Ajaja (Saddikanni) were looted by IS."At ancient Syria site, IS discovers then destroys treasures". AFP, 7 August 2016

Parts of the Tal Afar Citadel were blown up by IS in December 2014, causing extensive damage.

In January 2015, IS reportedly destroyed large parts of the Nineveh Wall in al-Tahrir neighborhood of Mosul. Further parts of the walls, including the Mashka and Adad Gate, were blown up in April 2016.

In the Syrian city of Raqqa, IS publicly ordered the bulldozing of a colossal ancient Assyrian gateway lion sculpture from the 8th century BC. Another lion statue was also destroyed. Both statues originated from the Arslan Tash archaeological site. The destruction was published in the IS magazine, Dabiq. Among the lost statues are those of Mulla Uthman al-Mawsili, of a woman carrying an urn, and of Abu Tammam.

On 26 February 2015, IS released a video showing the destruction of various ancient artifacts in the Mosul Museum. The affected artifacts originate from the Assyrian era and from the ancient city of Hatra. The video in particular shows the defacement of a granite lamassu statue from the right side of the Nergal Gate by a jackhammer. Several other defaced items in the museum were claimed to be copies, but this was later rebutted by Iraq's Minister of Culture, Adel Sharshab who said: "Mosul Museum had many ancient artifacts, big and small. None of them were transported to the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad. Thus, all artifacts destroyed in Mosul are original except for four pieces that were made of gypsum".

On 5 March 2015, IS reportedly started the demolition of Nimrud, an Assyrian city from the 13th century BC. The local palace was bulldozed, while lamassu statues at the gates of the palace of Ashurnasirpal II were smashed. A video showing the destruction of Nimrud was released in April 2015. By the time the city was retaken by government forces, 90% of the excavated zone of Nimrud, including Ashurbanipal II's palace, the ziggurat, and its Lamassu statues had been completely destroyed. Since the city's destruction, The Nimrud Rescue Project, funded by the Smithsonian, has worked two seasons on location to train local Iraqi archaeologists and protect and conserve the remains. So far the project has largely been successful in documenting and collecting the remaining artifacts and reliefs; plans for reconstruction are also in the works.

On 7 March 2015, Kurdish sources reported that IS had begun the bulldozing of Hatra, which has been under threat of demolition after IS had occupied the adjacent area. The next day IS attacked Kurdish Peshmerga forces at Dur-Sharrukin, according to a Kurdish official from Mosul, Saeed Mamuzini. Most of the damage was done by the Peshmerga forces trying to militarize the site against IS. Only one looting tunnel was dug at the site.

The Iraqi Tourism and Antiquities Ministry launched the related investigation on the same day. On 8 April 2015, the Iraqi Ministry of Tourism reported that IS destroyed the remnants of the 12th-century Bash Tapia Castle in Mosul. In early July 2015, 20% of Iraq's 10,000 archaeological sites were under IS control.

In 2015 the face of the Winged Bull of Nineveh was damaged.

Palmyra

In anticipation of IS's capture of Palmyra, archaeologists removed hundreds of artefacts from the nearby museum. Following the capture of Palmyra in Syria, IS was reported as not intending to demolish the city's World Heritage Site (while still intending to destroy any statues deemed 'polytheistic'). On 27 May 2015, IS released an 87-second video showing parts of the apparently undamaged ancient colonnades, the Temple of Bel and the Roman theatre. In June 2015, accounts associated with IS released a video showing its members executing twenty-five captured Syrian soldiers at the amphitheater, observed by hundreds of local civilian men, who were reportedly forced to watch. On 27 June 2015, however, IS demolished the ancient Lion of Al-lāt statue in Palmyra. (It has since been restored, and is in storage in a Damascus museum until it can be determined that the statue can be safely returned to Palmyra.) Several other statues from Palmyra reportedly confiscated from a smuggler were also destroyed by IS. In August IS murdered Khaled al-Asaad, an archaeologist and expert on Palmyra, for not disclosing the location of artefacts hidden to keep them safe from IS. On 23 August 2015, it was reported that IS had blown up the 1st-century Temple of Baalshamin."Palmyra's Baalshamin temple 'blown up by IS. . BBC News"Isis 'blows up temple dating back to 17AD' in Syrian city of Palmyra". . The Guardian. Accessed 25 August 2015. On 30 August 2015, IS demolished the Temple of Bel with explosives. Satellite imagery of the site taken shortly after showed almost nothing remained.