Another blow to Christianity and civilisation: ISIS destroy 4th Century Mar Benham monastery in Iraq

20 Μαρ 2015

Another blow to Christianity and civilisation: ISIS destroy 4th Century Mar Benham monastery in Iraq

Jihadis used explosives to destroy Mar Benham monastery in Bakhdida
Blast reduced the ancient building to rubble according to local residents
ISIS seized control of the monastery last summer, expelling resident monks

The ancient building was built by Assyrian king Senchareb 1,600 years ago

Barbaric Islamic State militants have dealt yet another blow to Christian history in Iraq by using explosives to destroy the 4th Century Mar Benham monastery.

The ancient building, built by Assyrian king Senchareb 1,600 years ago, stood in the Christian-dominated town of Bakhdida, just 20 miles south east of oil rich ISIS stronghold Mosul.

Locals took to social media to share images of the massive blast, which reduced the ancient monastery to little more than vast piles of rubble.

The attack was later confirmed by Kurdish journalists familiar with developments in the city.

Blast: The ancient building, built by Assyrian king Senchareb 1,600 years ago, stood in the Christian-dominated town of Bakhdida, just 20 miles south east of oil rich ISIS stronghold Mosul

Up in smoke: Locals took to social media to share images of the massive blast, which reduced the ancient monastery to little more than vast piles of rubble

Barbaric: Islamic State militants dealt yet another blow to Christian history in Iraq this week by using explosives to destroy the 4th Century Mar Benham monastery

Mar Benham monastery was captured by ISIS last July in a lightning advance that saw the militants seize control of vast swathes of northern Iraq - including the country's second largest city, Mosul.

Resident monks who live in the building - which is also known as the Monastery of the Martyrs Saint Behnam and his Sister Sarah, and was once visited by thousands of Christians and Muslims every year - were subsequently forced to leave and flee to nearby Christian villages.

The destruction of the religious building was subsequently confirmed by Barzan Sadiq, executive producer at Kurdish Rudaw media network, according to the International Business Times.