Museums, statues, architecture – they are the products of human culture. At the same time, they are also extremely vulnerable to robbery, greed, and war. Here are some of the most afflicted civilizations destroyed by people – relics that tell the story of human history.

From ancient Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire, and Muslim and Ottoman conquests, the region around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers – one of the oldest and most storied places in the world – has been engulfed by the flames of war.

The region has seen much devastation, not only for their people but also its cultural heritage. Since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, as much as 170,000 items in the National Museum of Iraq have been looted, including some statues dating back 5,000 years.

Helplessly, the old city Babylon has witnessed the destruction of its culturally-rich history. Violence stretched over several ancient cities, museum and statues. For example, in 2006 and 2007, Al-Askari Mosque was bombed by Sunni militants twice in the course of two years. 

In 2006, the Minaret of Anah and the statue of Al-Mansur were bombed by Shia militants and destroyed. 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.

Tears, watering the scorched earth in Syria.

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. During the Turkish military operation in Afrin in 2018, Turkish shelling had seriously damaged the ancient temple of Ain Dara at Afrin.

Civilization should always be respected, rather than insulted. As Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony of the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations, "There are only different cultures, no superior or inferior ones. Those who think their races or cultures are better, and try to change or replace other cultures, are wrong in their mindsets, and are doomed to fail."

People are the carriers of civilization. And civilization makes people who they are.

(Cover: Syria in its civil war. /Xinhua Photo)