Omayyad mosque in Aleppo looses minaret

 
 The magnificent so called Omayyad mosque in Aleppo, originally built in 715, is in fact a structure from the 13th century. It was rebuilt by the Mameluks, after the original was almost entirely destroyed by fire. The  minaret, however, was somewhat older. It had also been damaged, but was recontructed by the Seljuks in 1090 (and later embellished by the Mamluks). It was one of the the oldest still standing square minarets in the world. But, alas, since Wednesday 24 April, it does not exist anymore. The Syrian government blames the rebels of the Nusra front (Jebhat al-Nusra) for the deratruction, and the front blames the government. This is the sad reality of present day Syria.