Story highlights ISIS has ransacked museums, bulldozed ancient cities, destroying human history

But the ancient city of Babylon is out of their reach in Iraq's Shiite region

Babylon, Iraq (CNN) ISIS has smashed priceless ancient statues in Mosul, bulldozed the ruins of Nineveh and Hatra, and dynamited centuries-old churches, mosques and shrines.

In a battle between Iraqi forces and ISIS over control of Tikrit recently, the tomb of Saddam Hussein was squashed to rubble, though it's not clear which side did it.

Luckily, the ancient city of Babylon is outside the extremists' grasp, south of Baghdad. For nearly 5,000 years it has stood as a symbol of the glory of ancient Mesopotamian civilization.

Saddam Hussein renovated the ruins in the 1980s, leaving his own crude personal stamp on the bricks there. They bear his name and describe him as the son of Nebuchadnezzar, who had the reputation of being ancient Babylon's greatest king.

One of Hussein's former palaces still peers down over the city.

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