Palmyra suffered major damage but retains authenticity: UNESCOApril 27, 2016 - 18:29 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN cultural agency said Wednesday, April 27 that the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra had suffered significant damage at the hands of Islamic State fighters, but that the archaeological site retains much of its authenticity, AFP reports. UNESCO sent experts to the world heritage site to study damage caused by the Islamic State group which held the city for nearly a year before it was retaken by President Bashar al-Assad's forces last month. Escorted by UN security, the mission inspected both the Palmyra museum and the archaeological site. "They took stock of considerable damage to the museum where they found that most of those statues and sarcophagi that were too large to be removed for safekeeping were defaced, smashed, their heads severed, their fragments left lying on the ground," UNESCO said in a statement, AFP reports. At the archeological site, the experts noted that parts of the grand colonnade -- an ancient avenue -- and agora courtyard were intact. "They observed the destruction of the triumphal arch and Temple of Baal Shamin, which was smashed to smithereens," said the statement. The experts observed a minute of silence in memory of victims murdered by IS at the Roman Amphitheatre - which was used for public executions by the jihadists. According to the statement, some sites had to be observed from a distance where demining operations had not been completed, AFP says. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |