Sun-bleached ancient ruins have long punctuated the desert landscapes of Syria and Iraq, offering tourists a glimpse into the lives of the many civilisations that once dwelled there.

But now as ISIS continue to seize cities across the Middle East, some of the world's most prized tourism gems - a glittering haul of ancient archaeological treasures and distinguished museums - have crumbled in their wake.

Unesco World Heritage Sites have been destroyed in Syria and Iraq and with them thousands of years' worth of history wiped off the map.

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Stunning: A partial view of the ancient oasis city of Palmyra which is 215km north east of Damascus

The world heritage sites that have been damaged so far by ISIS across Syria and Iraq

Nada al-Hassan of Unesco's World Heritage Centre revealed to MailOnline Travel how ISIS' impact is rippling through the historical world.

She said: 'Syria and Iraq are really places where we have the origins of civilisation where the alphabet, agriculture and urbanism were invented and they are extremely important for all of humanity.

'For Unesco it's important that the international community protects sites as it's our shared responsibility.'

Here is a round-up of the tourism and historical highlights devastated by ISIS so far, as reported by CNN.

Palmyra, Syria

Priceless: An aerial view of the 2,000-year-old ancient city of Palmyra in Syria

Described by Unesco as 'an oasis in the Syrian desert' Palmyra, north-east of Damascus, is home to the ruins of a city that was once considered one of the most important cultural hubs in the ancient world.

From the first to second century, Palmyra was uniquely influenced by several civilisations and Graeco-Roman and Persian touches are evident in its art and architecture.

'Palmyra is an important tourism site and it's extremely important in terms of art and architecture in the region.

'It's under ISIS control. it hasn't been destroyed but more than 50 funeral busts have been looted. These dates back to Roman era of second and third century.

'The sculptural art is not really typical in this site and is not [found] anywhere else,' explained al-Hassan.

Before ISIS took full control of the city in May 2015, the director of antiquities in Damascus transferred Palmyra's museum collections which included hundreds of statues and artefacts to Damascus.

But the tombs that could not be removed have since been damaged. And the ancient Roman ampitheatre is reportedly being used by militants for mass killings.

Bosra, Syria

Citadel and theatre in Syria, Bosra where the ancient ruins of the Roman town are a Unesco site

Surviving detail: The Roman Theatre at Bosra in Syria

Embellished with citadels, ruins and a second-century Roman theatre, Bosra was once the capital of the Roman province of Arabia.

As an important stopover on the ancient caravan route to Mecca it was home to early Christian ruins and several mosques.

Although Syrian rebels recaptured the ancient city of Bosra in Southern Syria in March 2015, video released by APSA (the Association for the Protection of Syrian Archaeology) recently depicted damage to ancient stonework and Roman mosaics at the Unesco World Heritage site.

Aleppo,Syria

As the battle rages on in Aleppo, its old city is considered at risk of damage

The Great Mosque in Aleppo in Syria is under increasing risk as the battle continues to unfold

Aleppo Citadel in Syria dates back to the eighth century

As the battle rages on in Aleppo, the ongoing clashes have caused damage to the Unesco-listed Old City.

The eighth-century Great Mosque of Aleppo and Aleppo Citadel are reportedly at risk.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Syria, Saint Simeon Church and the 11th-century Crac des Chevaliers have taken a battering.

Nimrud, Iraq

Iraqi workers cleaning a statue of winged bull (left) at an archaeological site in Nimrud and other impressive Nimrud ruins (right)

Jihadis in Nimrud dismantle alabaster reliefs in an image grab from April 2015

An IS militant destroys a frieze in Iraq in a recently released video

'In Iraq ISIS are controlling one of the richest parts in terms of Mesopotamian remains such as the very important Assyrian cities of Nimrud and Khorsabad and Roman city of Hatra.

'They have so far destroyed sculptures at Hatra and Nimrud and reportedly blown up a palace in Khorsabad. They have partially destroyed Khorsabad,' revealed al-Hassan.

A film of ISIS militants destroying Nimrud in northern Iraq was released in April 2015 with jihadists pledging to remove all signs of idolatry.

Lauded for its frescoes, Nimrud's ancient ruins and relics that dated back 3,000 years were bulldozed.The losses were confirmed by The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

However, in 1845 British archaeologist Austen Henry Layard took six pairs of statues of lions and bulls from Nimrud which can now be found in the British Museum.

Hatra, Iraq

The statue of a robed woman, believed to be the spouse of a former king, stares down at visitors in the ruins of the ancient city of Hatra

The remains of the ancient Parthian city of Hatra, Iraq

This circular fortified city is distinguished by its decorative architecture. Built by the successors to Alexander the Great, Hatra was capital of the first Arab Kingdom.

It withstood invasions by the Romans in AD 116 and 198 due to its high walls and towers.

Witnesses reported that the 2,000 year old city of Hatra was razed by ISIS in March 2015.

In this image made from a video posted on YouTube in April, a militant hammers away at a face on a wall in Hatra

In this video still extremists at Iraq's ancient city of Hatra destroyed the archaeological site by smashing sledgehammers into its walls and shooting Kalashnikov assault rifles at priceless statue

The Director-General of Unesco, Irina Bokova, and Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri, Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), issued a joint statement of outrage immediately after the attacks.

They said: 'The destruction of Hatra marks a turning point in the appalling strategy of cultural cleansing underway in Iraq.

'This is a direct attack against the history of Islamic Arab cities, and it confirms the role of destruction of heritage in the propaganda of extremists groups.'

Khorsabad, Iraq

Ancient relics: Temple of the Sibitti, Khorsabad, Iraq

The partial damage to Khorsabad is another loss for archaeological circles to bear.

King Sargon II constructed the new capital in 721BC and in March 2015 his palace was reportedly looted and destroyed.

Mosul, Iraq

ISIS extremists targeted a museum in Mosul using power drills and sledge hammers to destroy artefacts

Mosul's cultural legacy has been ripped apart by ISIS with Mosul Museum, Mosul Library and Jonah's tomb all attacked.

Iraq's second largest museum had contained collections from Hatra and Ninevah. Most of these sculptures were destroyed.

The library had housed 18th Century manuscripts and Ottoman era books which were reportedly burned.

The holy site of Jonah's tomb inside the Mosque of the Prophet Yunus is significant in Christianity and has also been devastated by ISIS.

However, in recent months as the dust begins to settle on the ruptured foundations of the tourism sites and museums rocked by ISIS, 2,000-year-old relics looted from these ancient sites in Iraq and Syria are starting to turn up on eBay.