It is international news of great distress
that in spite of US claims of air strikes killing scores of ISIS terrorists,
the group has made great advances into Syrian territory, today even seizing the
ancient city of Palmyra, a UN World Heritage site.
History dates the settlement of Palmyra to
7500 BC. That is a hell of a lot back in time than anyone would like to think
of. Documents from various parts of the ancient world describe the city in
eloquent details and it seems to be as famous as Babylon or Constantinople in
ancient trading standards.
Ruins at Palmyra. Image Courtesy: UNESCO. |
In case it isn’t clear, the Buddha referred
to in the title are the Bamiyan Buddhas statues in Afghanistan (built in the 6th
century AD) which were destroyed by the Taliban when they seized control of the
area near Kabul. They were dynamited and horribly defaced because the leaders
of the Taliban believed them to be idols and hence, blasphemous.
Bamiyan Buddhas. Image Courtesy: worldarcheology.com |
Now, another heritage site, which predates
the Bamiyan Buddhas my millennia, has come under the control of another
extremist organization that may or may not decide to disturb the remnants left
by ancient humanity by blowing it up in response to airstrikes by coalition
forces.
Extremist organizations throughout history
have wanted power but have had a distinct lack of respect for culture and
heritage. Well, it does make sense that those who cannot value human life will
not value history. Julius Caesar’s Roman legions set fire to the Library of Alexandria,
which, if it were standing, would be the single most important point of
reference for world history. In recent history, Hitler’s Nazi army seized a lot
of art from Europe and a lot of it was destroyed or lost when the Third Reich
fell.
It is now the duty of international
organizations to intervene on behalf of humanity to ensure that these ancient
ruins are kept out of this war. It is time the United Nations stop issuing
impotent protests and actually galvanizes some real effort into preserving this
historical city.
Because what are we, if not the sum of our
collective history?
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