Fears mount for ancient monuments in desert city of Palmyra

Palmyra, an outpost built on an oasis in the Syrian desert and rich in monuments which have stood for thousands of years, has been overrun by Islamic State militants.

The sun sets behind ruined columns at the historical city of Palmyra, in the Syrian desert

After being pushed back earlier in the week Islamic State forces have now overrun the archaeological treasure that is the city of Palmyra. Fears are mounting around the world that the militants will wreak the sort of wanton ­destruction on the city’s many ancient monuments that they have visited on other heritage cities.

Palmyra, an ancient outpost built on an oasis in the Syrian desert, was once a vital stop on the trading routes between East and West. It remains remarkably well preserved, spared destruction by wars, urban development and misguided ideologues.

Its origins lie in prehistoric times when it was visited and later settled by wandering people who were drawn to its water and the fruits of the palms that grew prolifically around the oasis. Stone tools dating back to 7500BC show people hunted there and prepared food; there is also evidence of prehistoric wells. Over the centuries it became an important stop for traders crossing the desert as it was halfway between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates. It was an important link in the trading route known as the Silk Road, reaching as far east as China, providing the west with luxuries such as spices and silk.

A symbolic trade caravan representing the prosperous trade during the era of Queen Zanobya 260-273AD parades through Palmyra.

The people of the city worshipped a god of the sky known as Bel and built a temple dedicated to him. The first written accounts of the city appear in tablets as early as the 19th century BC, like those found in the archives of the ancient Syrian city of Mari. It was then known as Tadmor, meaning palm tree, and is also mentioned in the Old Testament as a city fortified by King Solomon.

The oasis was conquered by the Persians in the 6th century BC but in 331BC it became part of Alexander the Great’s empire when he ­defeated the Persians, passing to his General Seleucid and his dynasty after Alexander’s death.

Roman general Pompey’s conquest of Syria in 63BC brought Palmyra into the Roman sphere of influence, under which the city prospered. Roads to Palmyra were improved, the Romans created colonnaded streets, built a theatre, ­defensive walls and an enlarged temple to Bel. They named the city Palmyra, meaning city of palms. Seeing its beauty on a visit there in AD129, the Emperor Hadrian gave Palmyra special tax exempt status as a free city.

Rome’s protection of Palmyra faltered when Roman forces were defeated by Persians at the Battle of Edessa in 260, during which the Emperor Valerian was captured and later executed by his captors. When Palmyra’s king Odaenathus remained loyal to Valerian’s son and successor Gallienus and helped recapture Roman possessions, he was amply rewarded.

Ancient buildings dominate the desert landscape.

Odaenathus’s assassination, and the assassination of his oldest son, in 267 or 268 brought a younger son to the throne under the ­regency of one of Odaenathus’s wives Zenobia. The power-hungry Zenobia turned on Rome in 269, expanding Palmyra’s empire and declaring independence. She was defeated in 272 by the armies of the new emperor Aurelius, captured and either killed after taking part in Aurelian’s triumph, or starved herself on the way to Rome. The ­Romans sacked Palmyra. Now mostly in ruins, the city remained an important trading post. In about AD300 the emperor Diocletian built a fortified road and a permanent army camp near Palmyra to protect the trade route. But the importance of the city declined with the rise of alternative sea routes. Captured by the first Muslim caliph Khalid ibn al-Walid in 634, by then it was already in decline.

A British Bren Gun Carrier moves through the ancient ruins at Palmyra in 1941.

It became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, but was slowly buried under sand and was not rediscovered until two English merchants stumbled across it in 1678. It remained under Ottoman rule until the collapse of the empire at the end of World War I.

In 1919 Syria came under French mandate, which would lead to a battle over Palmyra during World War II as Allied troops fought the Nazi-aligned Vichy French troops stationed there. The city was liberated by Allied forces in 1941.

CITIES LOST IN TIME

Troy, Turkey: Bronze Age city destroyed by ancient wars, it remained buried from the 1st century AD until its rediscovery by Heinrich Schliemann in the 1870s, who destroyed most of the bronze age remains he was looking for.

Hatra, Iraq: Built in the 3rd century BC, it was destroyed by the Persians in AD241. Excavations in the 19 50s uncovered much of it, but parts of the city have been destroyed by IS forces.

Carthage, Tunisia — founded by Phoenician colonists in 814BC it was destroyed by the Romans after they defeated the Carthaginians in 146BC. The site was later colonised by the Romans, but fell into decline in the 8th century AD eclipsed by nearby Tunis.

Apamaea, Syria: Founded in about 300BC it was destroyed by an earthquake in the 12th century but parts of a long Roman colonnade remained until it was recently destroyed during fighting in Syria.

Originally published as Fears mount for ancient monuments in desert city of Palmyra