SYRIAN TRANSFERS HUNDREDS OF ARTIFACTS OUT OF PALMYRA OVER ISIS TAKEOVER

The 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra which has been listed as a World Heritage site because of its architecture [Photo: AFP]

The ancient Syrian City, Palmyra, also known as The Pearl of the Desert, dates back to the 1st and 2nd century and has been listed as a World Heritage site because of its architecture.
A Syrian antiquities chief, Maamoun Abdulkarim, who received UNESCO's Cultural Heritage Rescue Prize last year, said hundreds of statues had been moved to safe locations.

Hundreds of statues and ancient artefacts from Palmyra's museum have already been transferred out of the city, according to Abdulkarim.

Abdulkarim called on the Syrian army, opposition and international community to save the UNESCO World Heritage site.