Today's Palmyra news

PALMYRA WATCH: A Jewel in Syria Where ‘Ruins Have Been Ruined’ by ISIS. A Times photographer traveled to Palmyra, Syria, to see what remained of its archaeological treasures after almost a year of Islamic State control (BRYAN DENTON, NYT). A photo essay by the photographer. What appears to be the scene described in the first paragraph also appears in a photo farther down. You are warned!

PALMYRA, Syria — As my Hezbollah escort and I entered the modern city around Palmyra, we were greeted by the mangled body of an Islamic State fighter left to rot in the sun. He looked as if dogs might have gotten to him after Syrian government forces, backed by loyal militiamen, routed him and his comrades from the ancient city after almost a year of Islamic State control.

In that time, the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, destroyed some of the remains of a civilization that 2,000 years ago was a mix of Roman, Persian and local cultures.

Where Palmyra’s impressive Temple of Bel once stood, only a single stone archway was left to frame a rectangle of blue sky above the arid desert about 160 miles northeast of Damascus, the capital.

I traveled to Palmyra on Saturday with members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia allied with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, to see what remained of the archaeological treasures of Palmyra .

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And there's this: Never mind ruins, what about Palmyra’s people? (albabwa). Both are important.

And this: Palmyra Can Be Restored Within Year With Funding – Chechnya Leader The ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, recently liberated from terrorists by the government forces, could be restored in a year if enough funding is provided, the acting leader of Russia's Chechen Republic told Sputnik in an interview. I hope he's right.