Story highlights ISIS destroyed many Assyrian artifacts in Nimrud

Nenous Thabit, 17, has been sculpting replicas

He says it's his way of fighting back with art

(CNN) When footage emerged of ISIS destroying the ancient city of Nimrud outside Mosul, the world stood powerless in the face of a group of militants using sledgehammers and electric drills to obliterate centuries-old archaeological gems.

But 17-year-old Nenous Thabit rolled up his sleeves and began work on replicating the sculptures.

For Thabit, an Assyrian Christian, the 3,000-year-old city -- which once formed the capital of an Assyrian empire reaching from Egypt to parts of modern-day Iran and Turkey -- was a source of pride. He considers the artifacts of Nimrud to be the work of his ancestors.

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"They waged a war on art and culture, so I decided to fight them with art," he told CNN.

He did so by sculpting immaculate statues that resembled some of the most precious Assyrian artifacts in Nimrud and other ancient areas in and around Mosul.

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