From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architecture of Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations, married Graeco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persian influences. The fabled desert oasis saw its last tourist in September 2011, six months after the Syrian uprising began. It is feared that the ancient city is now under threat from the ISIS militant group.
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ISIS' advance on Tadmur threatens UNESCO heritage site
01:55 - Source: CNN

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NEW: Activists say ISIS fighters now control most of Tadmur, just meters away from Palmyra ruins

Palmyra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site northeast of Damascus

ISIS has destroyed other archaeological sites, claiming that it considers all religious shrines idolatrous

CNN  — 

ISIS militants on Wednesday stormed a central Syrian city that’s just meters from the ancient ruins of Palmyra, activists said.

ISIS fighters entered Tadmur, the Arabic name for the modern city with thousands of residents at the Palmyra site, after days of fighting with Syrian government forces in the area over the past week, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Militants controlled most of the city by the evening and had taken over Tadmur’s prison, the observatory said. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces reportedly have retreated to the city’s security headquarters, and clashes with ISIS are ongoing.

Palmyra’s centuries-old remains of temples and other structures are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Homs countryside northeast of Damascus.

United Nations and Syrian officials have expressed fears that ISIS aims to destroy the ruins, just as it