The Syro-Hittite temple of Ain Dara built in the 1 st millennium BC boasted intricate stone sculptures of lions and sphinxes, elaborately decorated walls with geometric designs, floral patterns, animals and mythical creatures, and limestone pavings that are famously imprinted with a pair of gigantic footprints. But today, the Ain Dara temple is little more than a pile of rubble after a Turkish airstrike hit the ancient site during an attack on the Kurdish-held area south of the city of Afrin sometime between January 20 and January 22.
The Syrian government has condemned the attack as a deliberate assault on the site by Turkish forces, although this is yet to be independently confirmed:
“This attack reflects the hatred and barbarism of the Turkish regime against the Syrian identity and against the past, present and future of the Syrian people,” The Syrian Ministry reported. “DGAM appeals to all concerned international organizations and all those interested in world heritage to condemn this aggression and to pressure the Turkish regime to prevent the targeting of archeological and cultural sites in Efrin, one of the richest areas in Syria.”
Video of destroyed site:
Read here: 3,000-Year-Old Ain Dara Temple in Syria Reduced to Rubble by Turkish Airstrikes
Shame.
The Syrian government has condemned the attack as a deliberate assault on the site by Turkish forces, although this is yet to be independently confirmed:
“This attack reflects the hatred and barbarism of the Turkish regime against the Syrian identity and against the past, present and future of the Syrian people,” The Syrian Ministry reported. “DGAM appeals to all concerned international organizations and all those interested in world heritage to condemn this aggression and to pressure the Turkish regime to prevent the targeting of archeological and cultural sites in Efrin, one of the richest areas in Syria.”
Video of destroyed site:
Read here: 3,000-Year-Old Ain Dara Temple in Syria Reduced to Rubble by Turkish Airstrikes
Shame.
