Islamists have destroyed ancient statues and bas-reliefs that belonged to the 300th year BC. A unique citadel was discovered in the 1920s, after which an open-air museum was opened on this site, which worked before the beginning of the military conflict in Syria.
The archaeological monument of Dura-Europos, where the ancient statues were destroyed, is located not far from the modern city of Deir ez-Zor, where the fighting of the government army with Islamists continues. The militants destroyed the ancient artifacts with the help of sledgehammers.