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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria Says Saint Maron's Tomb 'Destroyed' in Turkish Raids |
| 2018-03-23 |
| [AnNahar] " It said that Brad -- which includes many Byzantine churches and monasteries as well as tombs dating back to the Roman period -- has been on UNESCO's world heritage list since 2011. "The bombing destroyed many important archaeological buildings," including the tomb of Saint Maron of the Maronite community, said Syrian antiquities chief Mahmoud Hamoud. Also destroyed was "the Julianus Church, which includes the mausoleum and is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, built at the end of the 4th century," he added. Ankara began its offensive in January against the YPG, which it says is allied with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) waging an insurgency against ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terror organization by Turkey and its Western allies. At the end of January, Syria accused Turkey of damaging the 3,000-year-old iron age neo-Hittite temple of Ain Dara as it pressed its bombardment of the Afrin region. But the The tomb of Saint Maron was discovered by a French archeological mission in 2002. "This site is one of the most beautiful pages of the history of Christianity. It is home to three churches, a monastery and a five-meter-high tower," Syria's former antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP. In Janurary he had voiced concern for a group of 40 ancient villages in the Afrin region, which UNESCO calls "Ancient Villages of Northern Syria" and includes on its world heritage list. UNESCO says these villages provide, among other things, "an exceptional illustration of the development of Christianity in the East, in village communities." Syria's seven-year war has killed more than 340,000 people, displaced millions and ravaged its archaeological heritage since it started in 2011. Maronites are a branch of the Catholic Church and are indigenous to Syria and Leb. In Leb, the president is chosen from the Maronite community named after Saint Maron. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #5 In communion with Rome, no? One family of 'em, whose names I'm ashamed to have forgotten, are some of the nicest people I've ever met, outgoing and friendly to a degree -- and with an apparent sincerity and unanimity -- that's just about extinct in this country. Big family, and not a single brooding patriarch, sulking teen, or significantly silent woman to be seen. |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2018-03-23 14:52 |
| #4 Maronites |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-03-23 14:02 |
| #3 The tomb of Saint Maron His followers of course are known as Maroons. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2018-03-23 13:58 |
| #2 The New Talibanâ„¢ |
| Posted by: Frank G 2018-03-23 07:05 |
| #1 But the Ottoman Turkish military said "religious and cultural buildings, historical sites, archaeological ruins and public facilities are absolutely not among the targets" of the offensive. That should be easy enough to determine. |
| Posted by: gorb 2018-03-23 00:57 |