Throughout history, people have sometimes destroyed buildings and monuments that had survived for centuries. The reasons ranged from war and ideology to political change and the desire to erase symbols of an earlier era.
1. The Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan
Two enormous Buddha statues had stood in Afghanistan’s Bamiyan Valley for roughly 1,500 years.
In 2001, the Taliban deliberately destroyed them. UNESCO later described the destruction as a turning point in international efforts to protect cultural heritage.
2. The Temple of Bel, Syria
The ancient city of Palmyra was once a major crossroads between civilizations.
Its Temple of Bel, completed in the first century, survived for nearly 2,000 years before ISIS destroyed much of it in 2015. The ruins remain a powerful reminder of how quickly ancient heritage can disappear.
3. Sarajevo’s National Library
Sarajevo’s historic Vijećnica building housed the National Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
During the 1992 siege, the building was set ablaze, destroying almost two million books and documents. It was eventually restored and reopened in 2014.
4. Dubrovnik’s Historic Old City
Dubrovnik had been a major Adriatic trading center for centuries.
During the Yugoslav Wars in 1991 and 1992, its historic center was shelled. More than two-thirds of its buildings were hit, although much of the city’s heritage was later restored.
5. The Gates of Nineveh, Iraq
The ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh was once one of the world’s great cities.
In 2016, ISIS destroyed two historic gates as part of its campaign against cultural heritage in Iraq.
6. The Djinguereber Mosque’s Historic Tombs
Timbuktu’s Djinguereber Mosque dates to the 14th century.
During the 2012 conflict in Mali, militants damaged historic tombs associated with the mosque. The destruction later became part of a landmark international prosecution over attacks on cultural heritage.