Militants 'Blow Up’ Palmyra Ancient Tower Tombs

PHOTO GALLERY: Ancient Palmyra Threatened By Islamic State Militants

Syria's antiquities chief says Islamic State (IS) militants have blown up three ancient funerary towers in the central city of Palmyra.

Maamoun Abdelkarim said on September 4 that the tombs, built between the years 44 and 103 AD, were destroyed 10 days earlier.

He said they were Palmyra's "best preserved and most beautiful" tower tombs.

They included the Tower of Elahbel, which Abdelkarim said was four storeys high and had an underground floor.

IS militants, who seized Palmyra in May, have also destroyed two ancient temples at the UNESCO World Heritage site -- Baal Shamin and the Temple of Bel -- in the last few weeks.

INFOGRAPHIC: Tracking Palmyra's Destruction

The IS group had previously destroyed ancient monuments as well as Christian and Muslim holy sites in areas under its control.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters