There was uncertainty -- not unusual amid the chaos of the Syrian conflict -- over when exactly the damage was done to the temple, which dates from the first century.
The temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria, seen in a file image dating back to 1960. ISIS <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/24/middleeast/syria-isis-palmyra-ruins-temple/index.html">militants are reported to have rigged the ruins</a> with large quantities of explosives before detonating them. The timing of the blast is uncertain -- the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it happened sometime in late July/early August.
9 photos: The ruins of Palmyra
A Syrian Arab News Agency report Sunday didn't specify when the explosion took place. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, reported on the same day that its sources said ISIS blew up the temple about a month ago. But Abdulkarim said it was blown up Sunday.
'They lied'
The Syrian government's Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums is trying to find out more from people in Palmyra about the extent of the damage.
"They destroyed an incredibly important architectural structure," Abdulkarim said. "It is the first structure in the Palmyra complex to be destroyed, although they recently destroyed two Islamic shrines nearby.
"They said they would destroy the statues but not the structures themselves inside Palmyra. They lied."
He called it a loss for all Syrians and for the international community.
The reports come less than a week after the observatory said ISIS militants had publicly beheaded Khaled al-As'ad, 82, the former general manager for antiquities and museums in Palmyra.
There was uncertainty -- not unusual amid the chaos of the Syrian conflict -- over when exactly the damage was done to the temple, which dates from the first century.
The temple of Baalshamin in Palmyra, Syria, seen in a file image dating back to 1960. ISIS <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/24/middleeast/syria-isis-palmyra-ruins-temple/index.html">militants are reported to have rigged the ruins</a> with large quantities of explosives before detonating them. The timing of the blast is uncertain -- the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it happened sometime in late July/early August.
9 photos: The ruins of Palmyra
A Syrian Arab News Agency report Sunday didn't specify when the explosion took place. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict, reported on the same day that its sources said ISIS blew up the temple about a month ago. But Abdulkarim said it was blown up Sunday.
'They lied'
The Syrian government's Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums is trying to find out more from people in Palmyra about the extent of the damage.
"They destroyed an incredibly important architectural structure," Abdulkarim said. "It is the first structure in the Palmyra complex to be destroyed, although they recently destroyed two Islamic shrines nearby.
"They said they would destroy the statues but not the structures themselves inside Palmyra. They lied."
He called it a loss for all Syrians and for the international community.
The reports come less than a week after the observatory said ISIS militants had publicly beheaded Khaled al-As'ad, 82, the former general manager for antiquities and museums in Palmyra.
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