As bloody conflicts rage on in the Arab world causing countless deaths and unspeakable misery for the common people, another tragedy unfolds across countries that were once considered the precursors to modern-day civilisation: the wanton destruction of heritage structures, irreplaceable and mind-bogglingly valuable.
This, even as the world watches helplessly as pieces of history get ripped one after the other in Iraq’s heritage sites at Nimrud and Hatra by the Islamic State, serious damage to the Great Mosque of Damascus and Dura Europos in Syria in the ongoing civil war, the Islamists’ dynamite attack on the ancient mausoleum of Cheick Amadou Barry in Mali and the burning of ancient manuscripts in Timbuktu, among others.
Despite United Nations-governed conventions and agreements, none has so far been able to do anything to prevent the destruction of whatever remains of awe-inspiring ancient cities, evocative totems from cultures past and exquisite artefacts that held within them the stories of another age.
Videos have surfaced showing the attacks on heritage sites – at once heart-rending and tragic. While the latest perpetrator is the armed group IS, it is not as if the rest of the world basks in innocent hurt. On the contrary, the entire world is complicit in the mindless destruction of some heritage site or the other, some with rationalisation and others not. What is it that provokes the marauder to not only try destroy a population but also its art, history, literature and heritage? The reasons may be complex, but the world today is vastly poorer for it.
It is not just the wild western Arab world. Back in 1981, during the anti-Tamil riots in Sri Lanka, following the killing of a group of Sinhala soldiers by the Tamil Tigers, raw reactive anger resulted in Sinhala gangs setting ablaze the Tamil Library in Jaffna. In one move, the mobs had wiped out the literary history of the Lankan Tamils. The burning was bereft of any rationale as it played no role in the conflict and the Sinhalese would have gained no great advantage by destroying it.
Back home in India, in the same period, two historical sites were destroyed. One was the Sikh library at the Golden Temple during Operation Bluestar. The Indira Gandhi-led Congress government in a controversial decision in June 1984, directed the Indian Army to flush out from the temple armed separatists fighting for an independent Khalistan.
In a violent operation that saw many of the separatists killed, the library containing literary works of historical importance was burnt down. Flushing out separatists was one thing, but destroying the literary history of the Sikhs was something else. Whether it was deliberate or an accident remains a point of contention.
More contentious was the tearing down on December 6, 1992, of the 500-year-old Babri Masjid by Hindutva activists in Ayodhya – with the connivance of the governments of Uttar Pradesh and the federal government in Delhi. The disputed site, claimed by a section of Hindutva activists as the site of a Ram temple, was in court (it still is) when vandals climbed on to the structure and in a six-hour operation brought it down. While it may be tempting to rationalise this on the grounds of a religious dispute, the fact remains that the destruction of the historical structure was patently illegal.
The brazen destruction of another site sent a shudder around the world – that of the 1500-year- old Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the ruling Taliban in March 2001. A towering structure that witnesses say was awe-inspiring, the Buddhas were ruthlessly destroyed by the ruling Islamists with no remorse whatsoever.
Destruction for commercial intent
While the sole reason in many cases has been resentment against rival communities and religions and the mindlessness that accompanies it, in some, the destruction camouflages a commercial purpose. For instance, in the recent destructions of historical sites in Iraq and Syria, reports say that each incident is accompanied by a surge in black market sales of antiques and other valuable objects from the vandalised sites.
This leads to the inescapable conclusion that the IS leadership is targeting the heritage sites with the unstated motive of funding the group’s activities. Many of the objects seized from these sites yield mind-boggling sums of money in the black market. The illegal trade reportedly goes on despite the Unesco instituting mechanisms to prevent it.
Iraq, in particular, is rich in historical artefacts that has collectors salivating. In the days prior to the US invasion in 2003, the then President Saddam Hussein had the sensitivity to hide many historical objects in underground vaults so that they would not fall into the hands of the Americans. Unfortunately, Hussein’s worst fears came true and romping US soldiers broke open the vaults and purloined scores of objects – some to keep as souvenirs and others to sell in the black market, both actions illegal under international law.
If there is one area that well-meaning sections of the world have failed, it is in ensuring the protection of historical sites. The world is bound by the 1954 Hague Convention to safeguard heritage sites. But, to no avail. There are suggestions that the UN equates such destruction to a war crime. It will probably take much more than a few laws and conventions to plug the habit.
The biggest challenge is the conflict between sovereignty and the need to protect historical sites within a nation. For example, would it have been acceptable for UN-led forces to physically intervene and stop the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan? Unless this dilemma is resolved, historical sites will remain vulnerable, and the world can only remain a mute spectator.
Published 14 May 2015, 17:54 IST