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Syria: 11th-century minaret of Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo destroyed

25 April 2013 15:06 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Shamil Alibeyli – APA. The 11th-century minaret of the Great Umayyad Mosque of Aleppo, one of the world's oldest and most important, has been destroyed by shellfire as the Syrian war consumes the country's vast repository of historic sites, APA reports quoting the Telegraph.

Oppositions activists in the city said the minaret was hit by tank shells fired as part of a regime assault on the mosque, which was originally built in 715 by the Umayyad dynasty and which fell into rebel hands last week. The collapse of the minaret was also reported by state media, which said it had been blown up by Jabhat al-Nusra.

Director-General Irina Bokova also issued a statement reminding all parties of the country’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Syria is a signatory.