List of destroyed heritage

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One of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001

This is a list of destroyed heritage in history, sorted by country. The destruction may be accidental, deliberate, or due to natural disasters.

Afghanistan

• A pair of 6th century monumental statues known as the Buddhas of Bamiyan were dynamited by the Taliban in 2001, who had declared them heretical idols.

Argentina

• The 1773 Marquez Bridge over the Reconquista River was renewed in 1964 and declared National Historic Monument. In 1997, Autopistas del Oeste demolished it.

Azerbaijan

• In 1918, Juma Mosque in Shamakhy was suffered from fire, made by armed units of Armenian party “Dashnaktsutiun” under the guidance of Stepan Lalayan.
• In 2005 Medieval-era Armenian cemetery near the town of Julfa was destroyed by Azerbaijani soldiers.

Bahrain

• At least 43 Shia mosques, including the ornate 400-year-old Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque, and many other religious structures were destroyed by the Bahraini government during the Bahraini uprising of 2011.

Belgium

• The Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels burned down in 1731 and its ruins were demolished half a century later.
• Many churches and abbeys were demolished during the French occupation, amongst them the St. Lambert's Cathedral in Liège, the St. Donatian's Cathedral and Eekhout Abbey in Bruges, Florennes Abbey in Florennes, and St. Michael's Abbey in Antwerp.
• The Herkenrode Abbey in Hasselt survived the French Revolution, but subsequently fell into disrepair. In 1826 a fire destroyed much of the church, and the remaining ruins were demolished in 1844.
• On 25 August 1914, The university library of Leuven was destroyed by the Germans. 230,000 volumes were lost, including medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and more than 1,000 incunabula. After the war, a new library was built. During World War II the new building was again set on fire and nearly a million books were lost.
• During World War I, the city of Ypres was completely destroyed, including its Town Hall and Cloth Hall. These monuments were later rebuilt.
• The Maison du Peuple in Brussels, one of the largest works of architect Victor Horta, was demolished in 1965 to make way for an office building. The surviving buildings designed by Horta were declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2000.

Belize

• Several Maya sites such as San Estevan and Nohmul have been demolished.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Stari Most was destroyed by Croat forces in 1993 but was later rebuilt

• Parts of the old city of Mostar, including the Stari Most, were destroyed during the Bosnian War. The Stari Most has been rebuilt.

China

See also: Islamicisation and Turkicisation of Xinjiang

• Much of the Old Summer Palace was destroyed by British and French forces.
• Around 1921 Buddhist murals at the Mogao Caves were damaged and vandalized by White Russian exiles.
• Buddhist murals at the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves were damaged by local Muslim population whose religion proscribed figurative images of sentient beings, the eyes and mouths in particular were often gouged out. Pieces of murals were also broken off for use as fertilizer by the locals.
• Muslims gouged the eyes of Buddhist murals along Silk Road caves and Kashgari recorded in his Turkic dictionary an anti-Buddhist poem/folk song.
• During the Kumul Rebellion in Xinjiang in the 1930s, Buddhist murals were deliberately vandalized by Muslims.
• During the Cultural Revolution, many artifacts, monuments, and buildings belonging to the Four Olds were attacked and destroyed.

Croatia

World War II

Several Orthodox monasteries were destroyed during the World War II by the Ustaše and by Croatian forces during the Yugoslav Wars.

Croatian War

War damage of the Croatian War (1991–95) has been assessed on 2271 protected cultural monuments, with the damage cost being estimated at 407 million DM. The largest numbers – 683 damaged cultural monuments – are located in the area of Dubrovnik and Neretva County. Most are situated in Dubrovnik itself. The entire buildings and possessions of 481 Roman Catholic churches, several synagogues and several Serbian Orthodox churches were badly damaged or completely destroyed. Valuable inventories were looted from over 100 churches. The most drastic example of destruction of cultural monuments, art objects and artefacts took place in Vukovar. After the occupation of the devastated city by the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary forces, portable cultural property were removed from their shelters and museums in Vukovar to the museums and archives in Serbia.

• Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac, destroyed between 1991 and 1993. Renovated in 2007.
• Dragović monastery, Vrlika, destroyed in 1995. Reestablished in 2004.

Egypt

Damage to the Pyramid of Menkaure

• In the late 12th century, Sultan Al-Aziz Uthman demolished part of the Pyramid of Menkaure.

Guatemala

• Tikal Temple 33 was destroyed in the 1960s by archaeologists to uncover earlier phases of construction of the pyramid.

Haiti

• Much of Haiti's heritage was damaged or destroyed in the devastating earthquake in 2010, including the National Palace and the Port-au-Prince Cathedral.

Iraq

Main articles: Archaeological looting in Iraq and Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL

• Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, various archaeological sites have been looted.
• The Islamic State (IS) has destroyed much of the cultural heritage in the areas it controls in Iraq. At least 28 religious buildings have been looted and destroyed, including Shiite mosques, tombs, shrines and churches. In addition, numerous ancient and medieval sites and artifacts, including the ancient cities of Nimrud and Hatra, parts of the wall of Nineveh, the ruins of Bash Tapia Castle and Dair Mar Elia, and artifacts from the Mosul Museum were also destroyed.

Israel

• Following the conquest of the Old City of Jerusalem by the Arab Legion in 1948, under the Jordanian occupation, Jewish sites were systematically damaged and destroyed. In particular, all but one of the thirty-five synagogues of the Jewish Quarter were destroyed.

Italy

• Various historic buildings were demolished in the 19th and 20th centuries to make way for railways, industrial areas or other modern buildings. Examples include the Castello di Villagonia and the Real Cittadella in Sicily.
• The monastery of Monte Cassino was destroyed during the Battle of Monte Cassino in World War II, but it was rebuilt after the war.

Kosovo

• Destroyed Serbian heritage in Kosovo: During the unrest in Kosovo, 35 churches and monasteries were destroyed or seriously damaged. In total, 156 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries have been destroyed since June 1999. Many of the churches and monasteries dated back to the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.

Libya

Main article: Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL

• During the civil war of 2011, various sites were vandalized, looted or destroyed.
• In March 2015, during the second civil war, the Islamic State destroyed Sufi shrines near Tripoli.

Mali

• Parts of the World Heritage Site of Timbuktu were destroyed after the Battle of Gao in 2012, despite condemnation by UNESCO, the OIC, Mali, and France.

Malta

Strada Reale, Valletta in 1942 showing various destroyed buildings including the Royal Opera House.

• Auberge d'Allemagne was demolished in 1839 to make way for St Paul's Pro-Cathedral.
• Six Hospitaller watchtowers, including the first one to be built, Garzes Tower, were demolished by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries. The British also altered or demolished many other Hospitaller fortifications in Malta, such as Fort Saint Michael and the Santa Margherita Lines.
• Remains of a Bronze Age citadel and village might have been destroyed by the British in the 1870s in order to make way for Fort Mosta. However, the existence of the ruins is not confirmed.
• 73 prehistoric silos near Borġ in-Nadur were destroyed to make way for a new road in the 1920s.
• A number of megalithic temples and other archaeological sites have been damaged or lost over the years for a number of reasons. These include the Xagħra Stone Circle, the Debdieba, Ħal-Ġinwi and Kordin I and II Temples, all of which were deliberately destroyed. On the other hand, Xrobb l-Għaġin Temple is being destroyed due to coastal erosion.
• During World War II, Malta was under siege by Axis forces, and a large number of buildings were damaged or destroyed due to aerial bombardment. Buildings which were destroyed include the Royal Opera House, Auberge d'Auvergne, Auberge de France and Nibbia Chapel in Valletta and Auberge d'Allemagne and Auberge d'Italie in Birgu. Others such as Fort Saint Elmo and Fort Manoel also suffered severe damage but were later restored. Many churches were also damaged or destroyed.
• Apart from buildings damaged or destroyed by aerial bombardment, some historic buildings were demolished by the authorities throughout the course of World War II. These include the Gourgion Tower which was demolished to make way for an airfield, and the Wignacourt Arch which was demolished to widen a road. The latter has since been rebuilt.
• Since the war, various historic buildings were demolished, damaged or significantly altered. These include Tigné Barracks and parts of Pembroke Battery, Fort Chambray and Wilġa Battery.

Nepal

The 7.8 Richter scale earthquake in 2015 demolished the heritage Dharahara situated at Kathmandu which was a main tourist attraction in Nepal. It also destroyed centuries old temples in the Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Patan Durbar Squares .

Norway

Main article: Early Norwegian black metal scene § Church arsons and attempted arsons

• From 1992 to 1995 members of the Norwegian black metal scene began a wave of arson attacks on old medieval Christian churches. By 1996, there had been at least 50 attacks and destructions on heritages in Norway.

Pakistan

Swat Valley in Pakistan has many Buddhist carvings, stupas and Jehanabad contains a Seated Buddha status. Kushan era Buddhist stupas and status in Swat valley were demolished by the Taliban and after two attempts by the Taliban, the Jehanabad Buddha's face was dynamited. Only the Bamiyan Buddhas were larger than the carved giant Buddha status in Swat near Mangalore which the Taliban attacked. The government did nothing to safeguard the statue after the initial attempt at destroying the Buddha, which did not cause permanent harm, and when the second attack took place on the statue the feet, shoulders, and face were demolished. Islamists, such as the Taliban and looters, destroyed much of Pakistan's Buddhist artifacts left over from the Buddhist Gandhara civilization especially in Swat Valley. The Taliban deliberately targeted Gandhara Buddhist relics for destruction. The Christian Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence John Saldanha wrote a letter to Pakistan's government denouncing the Taliban activities in Swat Valley including their destruction of Buddha statues and their attacks on Christians, Sikhs, and Hindus. Gandhara Buddhist artifacts were illegally looted by smugglers.

Palestine

• The walls, dome and roof of the 7th-century Al-Omari Mosque in Gaza City, Palestine, were destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in August 2014, in addition to several other mosques that were completely destroyed in the assault.

Philippines

The Loon Church before and after the 2013 Bohol earthquake

World War II

The resulting carnage and the aftermath of the Battle of Manila (followed by the Manila massacre) is responsible for the near total obliteration and evisceration of irreplaceable cultural, and historical heritage & treasures of the "Pearl of the Orient" (an international melting pot and a living monument of the meeting and confluence of Spanish, American and Asian cultures). Countless government buildings, universities and colleges, convents, monasteries and churches, and their accompanying treasures, all dating back to the 16th century and in a variety of style, were wiped out and ruined by both Japanese and inadvertently the American forces battling for the control of the city.

The most devastating damage happened at the ancient walled city of Intramuros, as a result of the assault from 23-26 February, until its total liberation on 04 March, Intramuros was a shell of its former glory (except the church of San Agustin, the sole survivor of the carnage). Outside the walls, large areas of the city had been levelled; Warsaw was also a heavily damaged victim of the second World War, but unlike its European counterpart, Manila never recovered its former pre-War glory.

After the Liberation, as part of rebuilding Manila, most of the buildings damaged during the war were either demolished in the name of "Progress", or rebuilt in a manner that bears no resemblance to the original; replacing European architectural styles during the Spanish and early American era with modern American- and imitation-style architecture. Only a few surviving old buildings remain intact, though even those that remain are continuously endangered to deterioration & neglect, political mismanagement brought on by graft and corruption, rapid urbanization & economic redevelopment, low public awareness & ignorance.

2013 Bohol earthquake

Several historic buildings were damaged or destroyed during the 2013 Bohol earthquake, including the Loboc Church, the Loon Church, the Maribojoc Church and the Baclayon Church.

Poland

• Warsaw Old Town, destroyed by Nazi Germany in 1944. Rebuilt from 1950s to 1980s.

Russia

• 'Mephistopheles', figure on a St Petersburg building on Lakhtinksaya Street known as the House with Mephistopheles, smashed by a fundamentalist Orthodox group

Saudi Arabia

Main article: Destruction of early Islamic heritage sites in Saudi Arabia

• Various mosques and other historic sites, especially those relating to early Islam, have been destroyed in Saudi Arabia. Apart from early Islamic sites, other buildings such as the Ajyad Fortress were also destroyed.

Singapore

• The Singapore Stone was blown up in 1843 to make way for Fort Fullerton.

Slovenia

• Partisan forces or their successors destroyed approximately 100 castles and manors during and after the Second World War. Examples include Ajman Manor, Belnek Castle, Boštanj Castle, Brdo Castle, Čušperk Castle, Dol Mansion, Dolena Castle, Gracar Castle, Haasberg Castle, Klevevž Castle, Kolovec Castle, Križ Castle, Krupa Castle, Mokronog Castle, Pogonik Castle, Radelstein Castle, Soteska Castle, Špitalič Manor, Turn Castle, and Volčji Potok Manor.
• An Allied raid heavily damaged Žužemberk Castle during the Second World War.
• Partisan forces or their successors destroyed many churches during and after the Second World War. Examples include the churches in Ajbelj, Gabrje, Hinje, Koče, Kočevska Reka, Morava, Plešivica, Srobotnik pri Velikih Laščah, Stari Log, Trava, Velika Račna, Zafara, and Žužemberk.
• A German raid during the Second World War destroyed the church in Dragatuš.
• Allied raids destroyed churches during the Second World War. Examples include the church in Dvor and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Ptuj.

Spain

• Several monuments demolished in Calatayud: the church of Convent of Dominicos of San Pedro Mártir (1856), Convent of Trinidad (1856), Church of Santiago (1863), Church of San Torcuato and Santa Lucía (1869) and Church of San Miguel (1871).
• In Zaragoza were demolished the Palace of La Aljafería (1862) and Torre Nueva (1892).
• Churches, monasteries, convents and libraries were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War.
• A Virxe da Barca sanctuary, located in Muxia, was destroyed by lightning.

Syria

Minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo, destroyed in fighting in 2013.

Main articles: List of heritage sites damaged during the Syrian Civil War and Destruction of cultural heritage by ISIL

• Much of Syria's cultural heritage was damaged, destroyed or looted during the Syrian Civil War. Destroyed buildings include the minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Al-Madina Souq, while others such as Krak des Chevaliers were damaged.
• The Islamic State destroyed the Lion of Al-lāt, the temples of Bel and Baalshamin, the Arch of Triumph and other sites in Palmyra. The group also destroyed the Monastery of St. Elian, the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church, and several ancient sculptures in the city of Ar-Raqqah.

Ukraine

Main articles: Fall of the monument to Lenin in Kiev and List of heritage damaged during Euromaidan

Over a hundred Lenin statues and Soviet icons across Ukraine were destroyed from December 2013 to February 2014.

On 15 May 2015, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a bill into law that started a six months period for the removal of communist monuments (excluding World War II monuments) and the mandatory renaming of settlements with a name related to Communism.

United Kingdom

• St Mary's Church in Reculver, an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture, was partially demolished in 1809.
• Several historic structures such as the Euston Arch in London and the Royal Arch in Dundee were demolished in the 1960s to make way for redeveloped infrastructure.

See also

• Art destruction
• Book burning and List of book-burning incidents
• List of destroyed libraries
• Lost work, Lost artworks and List of lost films

References

• Gaya Nuño, Juan Antonio. La arquitectura española en sus monumentos desaparecidos. Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 1961

External links

• http://www.cracked.com/article_20149_6-mind-blowing-archeological-discoveries-destroyed-by-idiocy_p2.html