By Merlijn Veltman
The ancient city of Nimrud was once the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, one of the great civilizations that once occupied part of the land of Mesopotamia, or modern day Iraq. For countless years the wealth and prestige of the Neo-Assyrian Empire were enormous, and it was, together with Egypt one of the most important civilizations of that time. At first, the empire had her capital at the city of Assar. Even while this remained so after Nimrud was founded around the 13th century B.C., during the Middle Assyrian Empire, the city was placed very strategically, 10 kilometers from where the Tigris meets its tributary, the river the Great Zab. However, during the reign of king Ashurnasirpal II, Nimrud was finally turned into the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The significance of this city is vast, and to this day, the Assyrian people still inhabit the Nineveh Province, where Nimrud’s ruins lie.
With grace Nimrud has stood the test of time, for more than 3000 years, only to be obliterated by the terrorist organization known as ISIS in a matter of days. The terrorist organization has taken it upon itself to target the Christian and other religious minorities that inhabit the area that ISIS claims, roughly Syria, Iraq and parts of Jordan. By destroying this immense cultural heritage and driving out the Assyrian population of the Nineveh Province they have committed a grave act. Worse even, they have done this before. During the last days of February, ISIS sent out a video to the world showing how they destroyed ancient Assyrian artifacts in the museum of Mosul. Furthermore, they have destroyed many priceless manuscripts within the city’s library. All these acts are of an extremely vile and shocking nature, for these artifacts are irreplaceable and vital in understanding the important past of the region of Mesopotamia, which is also known as the cradle of human civilization.
However, the question arises what the motives are behind these appalling devastations of ancient artifacts. Perhaps ISIS is merely targeting these artifacts because of their link to the Assyrian population in the Nineveh region, which is now mostly Christian. But perhaps, there is another reason behind these atrocious acts. This could not only be an attack on the heritage of Assyria, but also an assault on the history of the world itself.
According to Tom Holland, an historian who wrote a great deal about the Near East, the actions of ISIS are ‘a crime against Assyria, against Iraq, and against humanity. Destroy the past, and you control the future. The Nazis knew this, and the Khmer Rouge – and the Islamic State clearly understand it too.’ The ancient site of Nimrud is of great importance to the Assyrian people and to the history of Iraq. Additionally the artifacts in the museum and library of Mosul, testaments to the important historical events, figures and accomplishments that had a part in shaping the world as we know it today, cannot be abandoned to ISIS’s appetite for vile, meaningless destruction. It is time to stop underestimating the threat that the Islamic State poses not only to the Middle East and all the people inhabiting that region, but also to the cultural heritage and the history of the world.
Merlijn Veltman, class of 2016, is an Art History major from Rotterdam, The Netherlands
