Hatra

Strolling along the ancient ruins of Hatra in Iraq's north, dozens of visitors admired the site, where local initiatives seek to turn over a new leaf after a brief but brutal jihadist rule.

Designated an endangered world heritage site by UNESCO, Hatra dates back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C.

An Iraqi museum is using computer technology and virtual reality headsets to turn back time, so visitors can explore heritage sites destroyed by jihadists and in battles to defeat them.

The ISIL captured a third of Iraq in a lightning offensive in 2014, seizing the northern city of Mosul as their stronghold and vandalizing or destroying a swathe of cultural sites across the country.

Iraq unveiled three monumental sculptures in the ancient city of Hatra on Feb. 24, newly restored after being vandalized by militants of the Islamic State group during their brief but brutal rule.

As Iraqi forces fight to take back Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), archaeologists trained by the British Museum are preparing for another battle; trying to save what they can of the city's heritage.

Iraqi archaeologists to be trained in reconstruction of heritage sites under scheme funded by 3 million government grantThe British Museum is to set up a training scheme for Iraqi archaeologists to tackle the aftermath of destruction wrought by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Art Newspaper has reported. 

New York Times attempts to map the strategy behind the Islamic State’s (IS) destruction of ancient historical sites in a piece posted by Sarah Almukhtar. On the one hand, the jihadists want to instill fear into the hearts of its enemies, on the other hand they want to impress would-be recruits to its ranks. They do it all for the glory and the money the article argues.

A collection of returned items, now on show at Baghdad's national museum, is only a small part of antiquities that have disappeared due to ongoing theft and destruction Iraq celebrated July 8 the return of hundreds of historical artifacts, from an ancient Assyrian statue to a 20th century presidential tea set, which were looted, lost or loaned abroad over the recent decades. 

The United Nations cultural organization has condemned the ?barbaric assaults? the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group launched on World Heritage sites in Iraq and Syria, saying they may amount to war crimes.

Syrian government troops and militia put up fierce resistance on May 17 to an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group assault on one of the jewels of the country's heritage, ancient Palmyra.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadists battled Syrian troops near ancient Palmyra May 14, threatening the UNESCO world heritage site with destruction like that which it has already wreaked in Iraq, a monitoring group said.