2,000-year-old city has been demolished, says tourism and antiquities ministry

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Islamic State militants have bulldozed ancient remains of the 2,000-year-old city of Hatra in northern Iraq.

An official said the tourism and antiquities ministry had received reports from its employees in Mosul, which is controlled by the radical Islamist group, that the site at Hatra had been demolished.

A nearby resident said he heard a powerful explosion early on Saturday and that neighbours had reported that Isis militants had destroyed some of the larger buildings in Hatra and were bulldozing other parts.

The destruction follows a similar incident this week when Isis fighters bulldozed the ancient Assyrian archaeological site of Nimrud, south of Mosul. Some of the works had survived for more than 1,500 years.

Outcry over Isis destruction of ancient Assyrian site of Nimrud Read more

Unesco, the United Nations cultural agency, condemned the action as “cultural cleansing” and said they amounted to war crimes.

A week ago Isis militants released a video showing them smashing statues and carvings in Mosul’s museum, which housed Assyrian and Hellenistic artefacts dating back 3,000 years.

Saeed Mumuzini, a spokesman for the Kurdish Democratic party in Nineveh province, said Isis stole ancient gold and silver coins that were used by Assyrian kings and were stored in Hatra.

Hatra dates back 2,000 years to the Seleucid empire, which controlled a large part of the ancient world conquered by Alexander the Great. It is famous for its striking pillared temple at the centre of a sprawling archaeological site.