Amazing rock engravings from around 2,700 years ago have been discovered by archaeologists in northern Iraq. The old Mashki Gate, which has been demolished by ISIL (ISIS) fighters while the armed organization occupied the city, was being rebuilt when the gray stone engravings were discovered this past week in Mosul by American and Iraqi archaeologists.
According to a local Iraqi official, they contained eight exquisite marble bas-relief carvings of battle scenes from the time of the Assyrian monarchs in the historic city of Nineveh. The engravings were attributed to King Sennacherib, who ruled from 705 to 681 BC, according to a remark from the Iraqi Council of Antiquities and Heritage, as per BBC reports.
The engravings were probably stolen from Sennacherib's spectacular palace and were utilized as a building material for the gate, according to Fadel Mohammed Khodr, leader of the Iraqi archaeological team tasked with restoring the location. As per Khodr, the carvings were repurposed by the king's grandson to remodel the Mashki gate and expand the guard room after being removed from Sennacherib's castle.
The section of the engravings that protruded beyond the ground was covered up because they were employed in the gateway. The Mashki Gate had been an "outstanding edifice," according to ALIPH, the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, which is grounded in Switzerland, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Ancient Nineveh's Buried History
Some of the largest civilizations in the world, such as Babylon, may be found in Iraq. However, the ruins of these towns and numerous damaged or looted cultural treasures have come under jeopardy due to a period of conflict but also instability. The goal of the project, which is currently being carried out in coordination with Iraqi antiquities officials, is to transform the broken monument into a historical education facility.
When the Islamic State group seized control of significant portions of Iraq and Syria in 2014, terrorists from the organization attacked museums in Iraq and destroyed precious collections of artworks and monuments. Numerous antiquities from the Assyrian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Persian, as well as Roman eras that were kept in Iraqi museums, have been destroyed or badly damaged, according to Live Science.
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Historical Damaged Brought by War
The organization said that it ruined pre-Islamic artwork since it viewed it as idolatrous. Within the 2,000-year-old Syrian desert region of Palmyra, ISIS members also wrecked historic sites. A significant municipal landmark, the Arch of Triumph, was destroyed by terrorists in October 2015.
Based on the historical organization UNESCO, Palmyra emerged as one of the most significant cultural hubs of the ancient near east and functioned as a crossroads for various civilizations. Additionally, ISIS fighters sneaked the antiquities out of the nation and traded them on the underground market. The United States has claimed that this plundering was a substantial source of cash for the Taliban.
U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003; and after erecting a helicopter pad there, American Marines also caused serious damage to the historic city of Babylon's remnants. Later, an American military official indicated he was prepared to accept responsibility for the harm, according to NBC News.
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