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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Palmyra,religious fanaticism,ancient city,cultural heritage

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Palmyra,dini fanatizm,antik kent,kültürel miras

Kaynakça

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