with the intent of intimidating Jewish communities and erasing any trace of the existence of Jewish people in Germany . However , Nazi destruction did not stop at objects that represented Jewish religion ; even secular art created by Jewish artists was targeted . In 1937 , the Nazi party created an art exhibit of “ degenerate art ” that was shown across Germany and Austria . The art was divided into categories which included art that was blasphemous , art by Jewish or Communist artists , art that criticized German soldiers , and art that offended the honor of German women . The exhibit was created specifically to demonstrate “ wrong ” art . Many of the paintings were crowded together and hung askew , making them unappealing to audiences . The criticism and ridiculing of this art was an attempt by the Nazi party to claim authority over artistic culture and support the Nazi claim that they were somehow superior to others . Iconoclasm has been widespread not only over time , but also across geography . During the Chinese cultural revolution in the 1960s and 70s , the call to “ sweep away monsters and demons ” inspired the destruction of artwork that appeared to be supporting capitalistic values . This art was replaced with images of farmers , laborers , and revolutionaries which supported the ruling party ’ s ideals .
Since the turn of the century , Islamic extremists have taken the lead in the destruction of historic sites and artwork . ISIS possesses much more efficient means for destroying historic sites due to their employment of modern equipment such as bulldozers and high-explosives . In fact , many of the places , especially religious shrines that ISIS destroyed were targeted in the past , such as the Temple of Baalshamin and the Palmyra temple dedicated to Ball , which were targeted by the Romans in 273 AD . However , the most important change in ISIS ’ s destruction compared to historical cases of iconoclasm is the cultural aspect of the destruction . Attacks on churches , such as in Mosul , and the destruction of statues of Mary and Jesus follow historical Islamic iconoclast practices , but the destruction of secular museum artifacts and archaeology sites is different . ISIS goes beyond destroying idols , the worship of which is forbidden in Islam , as they also destroy statues that , as Abbas Shouman , under-secretary of al-Azhar University in Egypt noted “ are nothing but stone and no one believes they are gods .” James Noyes , an iconoclasm expert , discussed another important characteristic of ISIS ’ s actions , such that , if these were purely “ devotional acts of destruction ,” there would not be a need for the viral videos of the destruction ; they could be performed in private . However , these videos demonstrate the effective destructive power of ISIS , provoke international outrage , and , according to Noyes , discredit their holy principles . While there is certainly still claims of religious ideals behind much of ISIS ’ s destruction , the insurgent group has also molded the destruction into a “ deliberate weapon of war ” to eliminate the history of local communities .
The list of sites that have been destroyed includes Khorsabad , the Assyrian Lion Statues , the winged bulls at Nineveh , Jonah ’ s Tomb , the city of Nimrud , the Mosul Museum , the city of Hatra , the city of Mari , and the Buddhas of Bamiyan . Many of these sites were thousands of years old and had been declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO as all of them held important pieces of history . The Buddhas of Bamiyan were towering statues , the tallest of which was 55 meters high , carved out of the sandstone cliffs of central Afghanistan in the sixth century .
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Initially , Mullah Muhammad Omar , the Taliban leader , wanted to preserve the Buddah statues . Since there were no Buddhists in Afghanistan anymore , he felt that the statues were not icons , but simply historical artifacts . However , Omar was overruled and in 2001 the Taliban declared the Buddhas to be idols and destroyed them . Another example of destruction for the purpose of “ cultural cleansing ” is the ancient fortress city , Hatra , Iraq . The site of Hatra had existed for 2,000 years until ISIS destroyed it in 2015 . The loss of historic architecture and artifacts led UNESCO to declare this destruction as a war crime . UNE- SCO Director-General Irina Bokova took this stance based on the argument that “ there is absolutely no political or religious justification for the destruction of humanity ’ s cultural heritage . Another ISIS victim is that of Nimrud , Iraq , founded 3,300 years ago and once the capital of the Assyrian empire . ISIS captured the city in June of 2014 and by March of 2015 most of the citadel , palaces and tombs of Assyrian kings , Assyrian temples , statues , and frescoes had been destroyed with the use of bulldozers and other heavy vehicles . In an interview with Layla Salih , one of the archaeologists who inspected the site after its destruction , concern was expressed for what remains of the site , since the lack of security amid the destruction made it easy for looters to enter the site and cause more damage before archaeologists and conservationists had time to fully inspect the damage and take measures towards preserving it . Experts frequently have to face the challenge of accessing and protecting these sites after destruction , a task which can not only be difficult , but also dangerous . For example , many of the sites are rigged with explosives , rendering the sites unstable for people to enter .
One of the most prominent examples of the damage that ISIS has done to historic sites is found in the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria . Palmyra was an important cultural center during the first and second centuries A . D , and served to link multiple cultures both in function and design . This grand city served as a meeting place for caravans traveling between Persia , India , China , and the Roman Empire , thus connecting the ancient world . Its architecture also contained multi-cultural influences , combining Greco-Roman architectural and artistic techniques with local Persian traditions . This unique combination of influences , noted especially in the Temple of Ba ’ al , dedicated to the ancient Palmyrene god of the same name , was part of the creation of a distinctive aesthetic and artistic style . This temple started as a mud-brick structure , constructed during the first millennium . Over time as the city grew the temple was modified and updated . The final layout of the temple with a stepped platform , main hall , and surrounding colonnade clearly demonstrate Greek influences and made the temple appear very similar to other traditional Greek temples . However , there were also elements of traditional Palmyrene architecture , such as the off-centered entrance , pedimented windows , and special chambers called thalamus to house divine statues . The rediscovery of this site by European travelers during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries contributed to a revival movement of classical artistic styles in the West .
The artistic and historical significance of the city of Palmyra to our world history was officially recognized when it was added to the United Nations Educational , Scientific , and Cultural Organization ’ s ( UNESCO ) list of World Heritage Sites in