(Newswire.net — February 27, 2015) — Ancient relics and statues in Iraqi museum have survived the centuries, some of them dated 7,000 years BC. The relics priceless bits of culture and history, however, they appear to be worth nothing to the ISIS militants who are destroy them beyond reparation. Or they just want us to believe so?
A video posted online shows a group of The Islamic State militia members, armed with sledgehammers and pneumatic drillers, destroying priceless ancient artwork. The reason? Mohamed forbid symbols of idolatry, they say.
Though the exact location is not known yet, it is believed the attackers were in a museum in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which was seized by the Islamic State last June.
Experts believe the militants are Sunni, the radical Islam school that holds all the statues as sacrilege and the offence to Islam.
Because the objects are idols to Assyrians and Akkadians, the ‘Prophet Mohammed ordered’ us to get rid of them, said one militant.
“It’s not only Iraq’s heritage: it’s the whole world’s. It’s human heritage,” Iraqi archaeologist Lamia al-Gailani told Reuters. “They are priceless, unique. It’s unbelievable. I don’t want to be Iraqi anymore.”
The area controlled by the Islamists is actually one of the greatest archeological locations in the world. It covers four ancient capitals of Assyria – Ninevah, Kalhu, Dur Sharrukin, as well as nd Ashur – which specialists fear could also be in danger.
“The Islamic State’s damage to Iraq’s heritage is an attempt to destroy the identity of an entire people,” said Axel Plathe, director of the Iraq branch of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
There are others, however, who believe this is a hoax. According to some experts who wanted to remain anonymous, “what we saw is exactly what they [ISIS] want us to believe.” Allegedly, the sculptures may not be the originals, and some wealthy collectors may be rubbing their hands waiting for their shipment ofr the real pieces to arrive.
We know ISIS badly needs large quantities of money to finance the war. This may be a brilliant scheme to cover-up the theft and sale of these priceless works.
“The video shows the sculptures are brought to the museum and in first few shoots we see that statues were ‘carefully’ wrapped, however, it is not how they would be professionally stored,” said one antique expert. “On the other hand, anything is possible,” he added.
Another video depicts the monment when one ISIS militant strikes the sculpture down, and there appears something that resembles to an armature from the broken legs still on the stand, which of course, didn’t existed in ancient times.
The third question may be the use of the pneumatic drill. Why making fractions of parts already small enough for transport? The easiest answer would be just because they can.
There is one fact though, the whole world saw beautiful statues gone to pieces. Originals or not, we may never know.