Reasons and Aims Behind the Islamic State Destruction of Ancient Mesopotamian Cultural Heritage Sites

This paper deals with the problem of devastation of cultural heritage by the Islamic State. The great emphasis is put on distinguishing reasons and aims of such behaviours and devastation performed on the ancient Mesopotamian artefacts, monuments, and artistic relics of the past civilization. The focus was put on Akkadian, Assyrian, and Sumerian heirloom due to its immense impact on the consecutive cultures of the region, neighbouring lands, and several distant societies. Problem of destruction is presented alongside with the short history of the Islamic State group emergence and its characteristics. Furthermore, this paper recalls the UNESCO definition of the term “cultural heritage”.

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