Apart from murdering innocent humans in Syria, Iraq and the world over, IS is also on a mission to kill history. The terror outfit has razed monuments in Palmyra, one of Syria’s most important historic sites, since it took control of the city in 2015. Historically, how significant is Palmyra?
A beautiful oasis
An oasis in the Syrian desert, Palmyra contains the monumental ruins of a great city that was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, says UNESCO
Traded with India
Palmyra was mentioned in records that date back to about 3,800 years but only during the 2-3 A.D., the city became a hub for trade. The city, which was controlled by Romans over the years, traded with Persia, China and also India. The inhabitants managed to survive in the middle of a desert by constructing reservoirs and irrigation channels
Palmyra’s queen
The ancient city’s most famous citizen was Queen Zenobia, wrote Kristin Romey in National Geographic. Zenobia leveraged the city's wealth and political chaos across the Roman Empire to briefly wrest control of the eastern Roman provinces of Egypt, Syria and Palestine and incorporate them into a larger Empire (269-273 A.D.), Romey adds