Examining Cultural Heritages Harmed by Religious Fanaticism: Sample of the Palmyra Ancient City

Abstract

Palmyra was an important religious and trade center of inner Syria in ancient times, and included on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1980. Palmyra’s origin dates back to the Neolithic era. The city, known as “bride of the desert” or “pearl of the desert”, and frequented by caravans, lived the most splendid times during the Roman Empire. Thanks to the welfare of those times, many statues and monumental buildings were built. Nevertheless, the city has been harmed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have been terrorizing Middle East lately, since May 2015. The reason of collapsing, dynamiting or destroying those heritages is attributed by Islamic terrorist groups to symbolizing idolization, what Islam ideologically refuses. In this paper, information gathered about The Ancient City of Palmyra, and the importance of the problem will be highlighted by evaluating the conditions before and after the destruction.

Keywords

• Palmyra,religious fanaticism,ancient city,cultural heritage

Dini Fanatizm Tarafından Zarar Görmüş Kültürel Mirasların İrdelenmesi: Palmyra Antik Kenti Örneği

Abstract

Palmyra, antik zamanlarda Suriye'nin önemli bir dini ve ticaret merkeziydi ve 1980'de UNESCO tarafından Dünya Mirası Listesi'ne dâhil edildi. Palmyra'nın kökeni, Neolitik Çağ'a kadar uzanmaktadır. "Çölün gelini" veya "çölün incisi" olarak bilinen, karavanlarla ziyaret edilen şehir, Roma İmparatorluğu döneminde en görkemli zamanlarını yaşamıştır. O zamanların refahı sayesinde birçok heykel ve anıtsal yapılar inşa edilmiştir. Lakin Mayıs 2015'ten beri Orta Doğu'yu terörize eden Irak Şam İslam Devleti (IŞİD) isimli terör örgütü, kente büyük zararlar vermektedir. Sözde İslami terör örgütleri tarafından bu mirasların yıkılması, bozulması ya da yok edilmesinin sebebi ise, bu yapıların İslamın reddettiği ikonlaştırmayı temsil etmeleri olarak gösterilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Palmyra Antik Kenti hakkında toplanan bilgiler ve yıkım öncesi ve sonrasındaki koşullar değerlendirilerek sorunun önemi vurgulanmıştır.

Keywords

• Palmyra,dini fanatizm,antik kent,kültürel miras

References

1. Anonymous (2016a). On Religious Fanaticism A Look at Transpersonal Identity Disorder. http://www.psychosynthesispaloalto.com/pdfs/Religious_Fan.pdf. Achieving Date: 05.12.2016.
2. Anonymous (2016b). Where Is Syria? http://www.worldatlas.com/as/sy/where-is-syria.html. Achieving Date: 05.12.2016.
3. Anonymous (2016c). Syria. http://downloads.slugsite.com/syria.pdf. Achieving Date: 07.11.2016.
4. Anonymous (2016d). Site of Palmyra. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/23/. Achieving Date: 07.12.2016.
5. Anonymous (2016e). Ancient history, modern destruction. http://uscbs.org/assets/ancient-history_modern-destruction-aaas- syrianwhs-9182014_0.pdf. Achieving Date: 07.12.2016.
6. Anonymous (2016f). Syria. http://diyaruna.com/fr?change_locale=true. Retrieved: 20.12.2016.
7. Anonymous (2016g). ISIL blows up ancient tower tombs in Syria's Palmyra. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/09/isil-blows-ancient-tower-tombs-syria-palmyra-150904165833493.html. Retrieved: 24.12.2016.
8. Anonymous (2016h). ISIL destroys ancient temple in Syria's Palmyra. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/isil-destroys-ancient-temple-syria-palmyra-unesco-world-heritage-isis-baal-shamin-150823212050325.html. Retrieved: 26.12.2016.

9. Anonymous 2016i. Palmyra's Temple of Bel destroyed, says UN. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34111092. Retrieved: 26.12.2016.
10. Anonymous (2016j). Syria's Palmyra. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-palmyra-idUKKCN0RY0YN20151004. Retrieved: 02.12.2016.
11. Anonymous (2016k). In latest round of destruction, ISIL reduces three ancient tower tombs in Palmyra to rubble. http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/intolerable-crime-against-civilization-isil-destroys-three-ancient-tower-tombs-in-palmyra. Retrieved: 27.12.2016.
12. Anonymous (2016l). Isis blows up Arch of Triumph in 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/05/isis-blows-up-another-monument-in-2000-year-old-city-of-palmyra. Retrieved: 27.12.2016.
13. Anonymous (2016m). Palmyra Castle partially damaged due to ISIS acts, plans to restore it to its former glory. http://sana.sy/en/?p=72903. Retrieved: 27.12.2016.
14. Anonymous (2016n). Islamic State militants 'destroy Palmyra statues'. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33369701. Retrieved: 27.12.2016.
15. Anonymous (2016o). Syrian city of Palmyra falls under ISIS. http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/05/20/ISIS-Syria-regime-forces-battle-near-Palmyra.html. Retrieved: 29.12.2016.
16. Anonymous (2016p). ISIS video shows execution of 25 men in ruins of Syria amphitheater. http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/04/middleeast/isis-execution-palmyra-syria. Retrieved: 29.12.2016.
17. Anonymous (2016q). Islamic State militants behead archaeologist in Palmyra - Syrian official. http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideast-crisis-archaeology-idUKKCN0QN24I20150818. Retrieved: 29.12.2016.
18. Anonymous (2016r). Syria. C:/Users/USER/Downloads/4eeda7ab.pdf. Retrieved: 30.12.2016.
19. Anonymous (2016s). Site of Palmyra. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/23. Retrieved: 30.12.2016.
20. Anonymous (2017a). IŞİD, antik kent Palmira'yı imha etti. http://www.milliyet.com.tr/son-dakika-isid-antik-kent-dunya-2381915/. Retrieved: 21.01.2017.
21. Anonymous (2017b). Palmyria. https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/1zl22x/13_years_ago_in_ march_2001_the_taliban_destroyed/. Retrieved: 02.02.2017.
22. Anonymous (2017c). Site of Palmyra. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/23. Retrieved: 01.02.2017.
23. Anonymous (2017d). In photos: primary field visit to the ancient city of Palmyra. http://www.dgam.gov.sy/index.php?d=314&id=1962. Retrieved: 03.02.2017.
24. Ball, Warwick (2002). Rome in the East: The Transformation of an Empire. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-82387-1.
25. Balogun KA (1983). Religious intolerance Harmony and Nation Building in Jolayemi. E.T.(eds). Leading Issues in General Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences. Ilorin: Department of Religious, University of Ilorin.
26. Beattie A., Pepper T (2001). The Rough Guide to Syria (2 ed.). Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-85828-718-8.
27. Belnap RK, Haeri N (1997). Structuralist Studies in Arabic Linguistics: Charles A. Ferguson's Papers, 1954–1994. Studies in Semitic Languages and Linguistics.
28. Ben-Yehoshua S, Borowitz C, Hanus LO (2012). Spices: Frankincense, Myrrh, and Balm of Gilead: Ancient Spices of Southern Arabia and Judea. In Janick, Jules. Horticultural Reviews. Horticultural Reviews. 39. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-10058-5.
29. Benzel K, Graff SB, Rakic Y, Watts EW (2010). Art of the Ancient near East: A Resource for Educators. Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-1-58839-358-6.
30. Bogart G. (1995). Finding your life’s calling: Spiritual dimensions of vocational choice. Berkeley: Dawn Mountain Press.
31. Boylan J P (1993). Review of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. UNESCO Archive. Department of Arts Policy and Management, City University, Frobisher Crescent, Barbican, London EC2Y 8KB.
32. Britannica Book of the Year (2005). Chicago: Encyclopedia Britannica Inc
33. Bryce T (2014). Ancient Syria: A Three Thousand Year History. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-100292-2.
34. Burkert W (1996). Creation of the Sacred: Tracks of Biology in Early Religions 1. Harvard University Press 1996.
35. Burns, Ross (2009). Monuments of Syria: A Guide (revised ed.). I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0-85771-489-3.
36. Cotterman W W (2013). Improbable Women: Five who Explored the Middle East. Contemporary Issues in the Middle East. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0-8156-5231-1.
37. DGAM (2016). Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums, Coat of arms of Syria.
38. Escoffey C (2012). Ancient Alexandria. The Alexandria and The Mediterranean Centre. ISBN 978-977-452-200-0.
39. Fenn R (1978). Toward a Theory of Secularization 36 (Society for the Scientific Study of Religion).
40. Francioni F and Lezzerini F (2003). The Destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan and International Law. EJIL – European Journal of International Law, Issue Vol. 14 (2003) No. 4.
41. Helble M (2006). On the Influence of World Religions on International Trade. Princeton University Press, p210.
42. Hornby AS (1980). Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
43. Hutter M (2005). Die Weltreligionen. Munich: C.H. Beck.
44. Jung C G (1966) Two essays on analytical psychology. (Vol. XX). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
45. LeCavalier J (2009). The Mormon Church’s Infrastructure of Salvation. In Monu Holy Urbanism February 2009.
46. Lifton R J (2000). Destroying the world to save it. New York: Henry Holt and Company
47. Miller A (1981). The drama of the gifted child. New York: Basic Books, Inc.
48. Oduwole T A, Fadeyi A O (2013). Religious Fanaticism and National Security in Nigeria. Journal of Sociological Research ISSN 1948-5468 2013, Vol. 4, No.1.
49. Park C (2004). Religion and the Geography. Chapter 17 in Hinnells, J. (ed) Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion. London: Routledge.
50. Riedlmayer A J (2002). Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1992-1996: A Post-war Survey of Selected
51. Municipalities. Bosnia-Herzegovina Cultural Heritage Report. Cambridge, Massachusetts USA. Rosenthal G (1987). Inflated by the spirit. In D. Anthony & B. Ecker & K. Wilber (Eds.), Spiritual choices (pp. 305-319). New York: Paragon House.
52. Saikal A, Thakur R (2001). Vandalism in Afghanistan and No One to Stop it, in the International Herald Tribune, 6 March 2001.
53. Taki M (2012). BBC Media Action: Country Case Study: Syria. Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London W1A 1AA, August, 2012.
54. Yon J B (2002). Les notables de Palmyre (in French). l'Institut français d'archéologie du Proche-Orient. ISBN 978-2-912738-19-6.