Written Discussion: ISIS and the Art World
Photograph: ISIS’ destruction of the temple of Palmyra
Extremist militants in Iraq and Syria have targeted ancient Mesopotamian sites as part of their propaganda campaign and have destroyed innumerable works of art as well as historic archaeological sites. While all of my students have heard about the Islamic State, few have been aware of this aspect of ISIS’ campaign.
Your assignment:
I want you to research the topic of architecture, art, and historic sites destroyed by the Islamic State. I want you to pick one site whose destruction struck you as particularly shocking and write about it. What about that site’s destruction particularly resonated with you? What is your response to hearing about ISIS’ destruction of cultural heritage? Were you aware of these actions before today?
I also want you to do some follow-up research. Over the years, ISIS’ hold in the Middle East has weakened considerably, particularly after the liberation of Mosul in July 2017. Now that these cities are no longer in ISIS’ control, archaeologists have gradually started coming back to preserve what is left.
When you’ve chosen the topic for your response I recommend plugging it into a news search like https://news.google.com/ to see if there’s any new information on these sites. (The Temple of Yunus, for example, has a very interesting follow-up…) Integrate these findings (if any) into your response.
Length:
Your response should be at least 150 words long. Post your response in the discussion board.
Response should contain an overview of the history of the site, the destruction of the site, the current history of the site (if known) and your personal opinion on the topic.
Resources and Articles
National Geographic, “Here are the Ancient Sites ISIS has Damaged and Destroyed”:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/09/150901-isis-destruction-looting-ancient-sites-iraq-syria-archaeology/
And as much as I loathe using Wikipedia for research, this article can get you started on finding a site to look up (follow the links in the footnotes for information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_cultural_heritage_by_ISIL
For a brief explanation of why these sites are targeted by ISIS: http://hyperallergic.com/188455/what-isis-destroys-why-and-why-we-must-document-it/
Please note:
I think we can all agree that ISIS is a barbaric organization, but please keep your written response focused on the assignment at hand. I don’t want a long diatribe about the evils of terrorism.
I also will not tolerate any anti-Islamic sentiments in your responses.
