Destroyed heritage
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cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...
sites that have been damaged or destroyed accidentally, deliberately, or by a
natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...
, sorted by continent, then by country. Cultural heritage can be subdivided into two main types—tangible and
intangible heritage An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. In ...
. The former includes built heritage such as religious buildings, museums, monuments, archaeological sites, and movable heritage such as works of art and manuscripts. Intangible cultural heritage includes customs, music, fashion and other traditions within a particular culture. This article mainly deals with the destruction of built heritage; the destruction of movable collectible heritage is dealt with in art destruction, whilst the destruction of movable industrial heritage remains almost totally ignored. Deliberate and systematic destruction of cultural heritage, such as that carried out by ISIL and other terrorist organizations, is regarded as a form of cultural genocide.


Africa


Egypt

* The
Library of Alexandria The Great Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was one of the largest and most significant libraries of the ancient world. The Library was part of a larger research institution called the Mouseion, which was dedicated to the Muses, th ...
was destroyed during the
Palmyrene invasion of Egypt The Palmyrene invasion of Egypt occurred in the summer, or possibly in October, of 270 AD when the forces of Queen Zenobia of Palmyra, led by her general Zabdas and aided by an Egyptian general named Timagenes, invaded and subsequently annexed E ...
and the following Roman counterattack during the 3rd century AD. * In the late 12th century, Sultan Al-Aziz Uthman demolished part of the
Pyramid of Menkaure The pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three main pyramids of the Giza pyramid complex, located on the Giza Plateau in the southwestern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. It is thought to have been built to serve as the tomb of the Fourth Dynasty ...
. * The Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was heavily damaged by earthquakes in the 10th and 14th centuries, before being demolished in 1480 to make way for the
Citadel of Qaitbay The Citadel of Qaitbay (or the Fort of Qaitbay; ar, قلعة قايتباي) is a 15th-century defensive fortress located on the Mediterranean sea coast, in Alexandria, Egypt. It was built from 1477 to 1479 AD (882–884 AH) by Sultan Al-Ash ...
. Some stones from the lighthouse were used in the construction of the citadel, and some other remains have survived underwater. * Villa Aghion, Alexandria. * Objects stolen from the
Mosque of Taghribirdi The Funerary Complex of Amir Taghribirdi or Mosque and Madrasa of Taghribirdi (Arabic: مسجد و مدرسة تغري بردي) is a historical funerary complex of a mosque and madrasa located in Cairo, Egypt and built in the year 1440, during ...
and
Al-Rifai Mosque Al-Rifa'i Mosque ( ar, مسجد الرفاعي, transliterated also as ''Al-Rifai'', Al-Refai, Al-Refa'i, locally known as El-Refa'i, and in English: the Refaai Mosque) is located in Citadel Square, adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. Now, it is als ...
. * Institut d'Égypte, destroyed on 17 December 2011 during anti-government demonstrations.


Libya

*During the
2011 Libyan Civil War The First Libyan Civil War was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. It erupted with the Liby ...
, various sites were vandalized, looted, or destroyed. *In March 2015, during the second civil war, the Islamic State destroyed
Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
shrines near
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...
.


Madagascar

*In November 1995, a fire broke out in the Rova of Antananarivo, a royal palace complex that had served as the home of monarchs in the
Kingdom of Madagascar The Merina Kingdom, or Kingdom of Madagascar, officially the Kingdom of Imerina (–1897), was a pre-colonial state off the coast of Southeast Africa that, by the 19th century, dominated most of what is now Madagascar. It spread outward from I ...
since the 17th century. The fire destroyed or severely damaged all of its buildings. The last 2 phases of the Manjakamiadana's (Queen's Palace) reconstruction was started by 2010, and by July 2020 the entire structure has been fully refurbished.


Mali

*The
Great Mosque of Djenne Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...
was allowed to fall into disrepair after the conquest of Djenne by Seku Amadu in 1818. It was rebuilt in 1907, however. *Parts of the World Heritage Site of Timbuktu were destroyed after the Battle of Gao in 2012, despite condemnation by UNESCO, the OIC, Mali, and France.


Nigeria

* During the
Benin Expedition of 1897 The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson in response to the ambush of a previous British party under Acting Consul General James Phillips, of the Niger Coast Protectorate. ...
, the British Empire launched a military campaign against
Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano (city), Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of ...
, the capital of the Kingdom of Benin (no relation to the modern country known as Benin), and looted and burned the city. The
Walls of Benin The Walls of Benin are a series of earthworks made up of banks and ditches, called ''ya'' in the Edo language, in the area around present-day Benin City, the capital of present-day Edo, Nigeria. They consist of of city iya and an estimated of ...
and the
Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin The Royal Palace of the Oba of Benin is notable as the home of the Oba of Benin and other royals. The palace, built by Oba Ewedo (1255AD – 1280AD), is located at the heart of ancient City of Benin. It was rebuilt by Oba Eweka II (1914–1932) ...
were destroyed, while the Benin Bronzes are currently preserved in the British Museum. * During the 18th-19th century
Fula jihads The Fula (or Fulani) jihads ( ar, جهاد الفولا) sometimes called the Fulani revolution were a series of jihads that occurred across West Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries, led largely by the Muslim Fula people. The jihads and ...
of West Africa, Fula jihadists destroyed Ngazargamu, the capital of the Bornu Empire. * During the
Battle of Gawakuke The Battle of Gawakuke was an engagement fought between the Sokoto Caliphate and the Gobir city-state at Gawakuke in northern Nigeria on 9 March 1836. The battle was a victory for Sokoto, and secured the Gobir kingdom's subordination to the caliphat ...
, the
Sokoto Caliphate The Sokoto Caliphate (), also known as the Fulani Empire or the Sultanate of Sokoto, was a Sunni Muslim caliphate in West Africa. It was founded by Usman dan Fodio in 1804 during the Fulani jihads after defeating the Hausa Kingdoms in the Ful ...
destroyed the Hausa city-state of
Gobir Gobir (Demonym: ''Gobirawa'') was a city-state in what is now Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 11th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the ci ...
.


South Africa

* The
2021 Table Mountain fire The 2021 Table Mountain fire (also known as the Rhodes Memorial fire or Cape Town fire) is a major fire that started on 18 April 2021 in and around Table Mountain National Park and the neighbourhoods of Newlands, Rosebank, Mowbray and Rondeb ...
partially or completely gutted several historical and/or culturally significant buildings and collections in the University of Cape Town, including Mostert's Mill (South Africa's oldest working windmill, built 1796) and the university's Special Collections Library, which held over 1,300 collections and over 85,000 books and other items, including a historically significant Bible, an original illustration of ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
'', drawings, maps and transcripts of stories from the indigenous peoples of the Cape, a major dictionary of the
isiXhosa language Xhosa (, ) also isiXhosa as an endonym, is a Nguni language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a seco ...
, copies of historic
Xhosa language newspapers This article focuses on the history of 19th century Xhosa language newspapers in South Africa. Introduction The first Nguni language newspapers in South Africa were founded in the Eastern Cape during the 19th century. The efforts of the Gla ...
, papers by
Ray Alexander Simons Ray Alexander Simons (née Alexandrowich; (31 December 1913 – 12 September 2004) was a South African communist, anti-apartheid activist, campaigner and trade unionist who helped draft the Women's Charter. She moved to Cape Town in 1929 to escape ...
, and archives of papers relating to many anti-apartheid movements. It is known that the fire completely gutted the library's Reading Room but that a fire detection system prevented the fire from reaching the rest of the library, likely preserving most collections; however, some rare collections were likely lost. A later assessment found that a vast majority of the African Studies Published Print Collection (about 70,000 items) and the entirety of the African Studies Film Collection DVDs (about 3,500 items) had been destroyed, along with documents relating to the university itself as well as any manuscripts or archives being kept in the Reading Room for digitization or after being digitized, but that the rare and antique collections kept underground, including significant documentation and works of the San and
Khoi Khoekhoen (singular Khoekhoe) (or Khoikhoi in the former orthography; formerly also '' Hottentots''"Hottentot, n. and adj." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, March 2018, www.oed.com/view/Entry/88829. Accessed 13 May 2018. Citing G. S. ...
people who lived in the area in the 1870s, had been preserved.


Zimbabwe

*
Great Zimbabwe Great Zimbabwe is a medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwi and the town of Masvingo. It is thought to have been the capital of a great kingdom during the country's Late Iron Age about which little is known. Con ...
has faced some damage since the colonial era. The removal of gold and artifacts in amateurist diggings by early colonial antiquarians caused widespread damage, notably diggings by Richard Nicklin Hall, who was determined to find evidence that the monument wasn't built by indigenous Africans until he eventually relinquished this belief. More extensive damage was caused by the mining of some of the ruins for gold. Reconstruction attempts since 1980 caused further damage, leading to alienation of the local communities from the site. Another source of damage to the ruins has been due to the site being open to visitors with many cases of people climbing the walls, walking over archaeological deposits, and the over-use of certain paths all have had major impacts on the structures at the site. These are in conjunction with damages due to the natural weathering that occurs over time due to vegetation growth, the foundations settling, and erosion from the weather.


Asia


Afghanistan

* During the Soviet invasion, large-scale looting occurred in various archaeological sites including Hadda, ancient site of Ai-Khanoum, the Buddhist monastery complex in Tepe Shortor which dates back to the 2nd century AD, and the National Kabul Museum. These sites were ransacked by various pillagers, including the pro-Russian government forces, destitute villagers, and the local crime rings. The National Museum of Afghanistan suffered the greatest damage, in which the systematic looting has plundered the museum collection and the adjacent Archaeological Institute. As a result, more than two-thirds of one hundred thousand pieces of museum treasures and artifacts were lost or destroyed. * A pair of 6th-century monumental statues known as the Buddhas of Bamiyan were dynamited by the Taliban in 2001, who had declared them heretical idols.


Armenia

* In 1870, a report by the Viceroyalty of the Caucasus recorded 269 Shia mosques in the region. After 1917, many of the city's religious buildings were demolished in accordance with the Soviet government's modernization and anti-religious policies. A mosque in Yerevan was pulled down with a bulldozer at the beginning of the year 1990, which was done as a result of Azerbaijan destroying the Armenian church in Baku. Today there is only one mosque remaining in the city.


Azerbaijan

*Azerbaijani authorities destroyed the Armenian cemetery in Julfa in December 2005 in the region of Nakhchivan. Azerbaijani representative of Nakhchivan denied that there was an Armenian cemetery there in the first place. *Azerbaijani authorities demolished the Church of the Holy Virgin in Baku in 1992 as part of thei
"de-Armenisation"
campaign which also took place in Nakhichevan. The rest was turned into a restaurant.


Bahrain

* At least 43 Shia mosques, including the ornate 400-year-old Amir Mohammed Braighi mosque, and many other religious structures were
destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...
by the Bahraini government during the Bahraini uprising of 2011.


China

* The historical Famen Temple went through several periods of destruction. First erected during the
Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
(AD 25–220), it was destroyed during the years of the Northern Zhou dynasty (557–581). After being rebuilt, it was destroyed again by an earthquake during the
Longqing Longqing () (9 February 1567 – 1 February 1573) was the era name of the Longqing Emperor, the 13th emperor of the Ming dynasty of China. Comparison table Other eras contemporaneous with Longqing * Vietnam ** ''Sùng Khang'' (崇康, 1568–1 ...
's years (1567–1572) of the Ming dynasty. After another reconstruction, it was destroyed again during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976. The present structure was completed in 1987. * The
Huang Chao Huang Chao (835 – July 13, 884) was a Chinese smuggler, soldier, and rebel, and is most well known for being the leader of a major rebellion that severely weakened the Tang dynasty. Huang was a Salt in Chinese history, salt smuggler before ...
rebellion (874–884) devastated the city of Chang'an, a historical capital of several ancient Chinese empires. The city was sacked and occupied by the rebels who looted and demolished the buildings, whose materials were then reused to build the subsequent capital city of Luoyang. Chang'an never recovered after this obliteration, and it was followed by the decline of the Tang dynasty. Huang Chao's former lieutenant Zhu Wen completed the destruction by dismantling Chang'an and transporting the materials east to Luoyang. A medieval Chinese source claimed that Huang Chao killed 8 million people. Huang Chao's army in southern China committed the Guangzhou massacre against foreign Arab and Persian Muslim, Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian merchants in 878-879 at the seaport and trading entrpot of Guangzhou. * During the systematic persecution of Buddhists in AD 845 by the Taoist
Emperor Wuzong of Tang Emperor Wuzong of Tang (July 2, 814 – April 22, 846), né Li Chan, later changed to Li Yan just before his death, was an emperor of the Tang Dynasty of China, reigning from 840 to 846. Emperor Wuzong is mainly known in modern times for the r ...
, more than 4,600 Buddhist temples were destroyed across the empire. * In 955, Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou ordered the systematic destruction of Buddha statues due to the need for copper to mint coins. The ordinance led to the destruction of 3,336 of China's 6,030 Buddhist temples.four imperial persecutions of Buddhism in China
/ref> * In 1739, the Pagoda of Chengtian Temple was destroyed after a large earthquake struck the city of Yinchuan. The pagoda was subsequently restored in 1820. * The
Porcelain Tower of Nanjing The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, part of the former Great Bao'en Temple, is a historical site located on the south bank of external Qinhuai River in Nanjing, China. It was a pagoda constructed in the 15th century during the Ming dynasty, but was m ...
, which dates back to the 15th century, was destroyed during the course of the Taiping Rebellion (1850–1864). A modern life-size replica was built in 2015. * In 1860, much of the Old Summer Palace, a
Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
-era imperial palace, was set on fire and sacked during the
Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
. The palace was later sacked again and destroyed by the
Eight-Nation Alliance The Eight-Nation Alliance was a multinational military coalition that invaded northern China in 1900 with the stated aim of relieving the foreign legations in Beijing, then besieged by the popular Boxer militia, who were determined to remove fo ...
when they invaded Beijing. * Beijing city fortifications which date back to the 15th–16th century were destroyed through the course of the decline of the Qing dynasty in the late 19th to early 20th century. They were severely damaged during the
Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...
(1898–1901), with the gate towers and watchtowers destroyed and troops of the Eight-Nation Alliance tearing down much of the outer city walls. After the collapse of the Qing in 1912, and end of the Republic of China in 1949, the fortifications were dismantled to build modern ring roads around Beijing. Today, nothing of the Outer City remains intact. * In 1921, Buddhist murals at the Mogao Caves were damaged and vandalized by White Russian soldiers fleeing the Russian Civil War. * On 8 June 1928, the soldiers of warlord
Sun Dianying Sun Dianying (; 1889–1948) was a Chinese bandit leader, warlord, and National Revolutionary Army commander who fought in the Warlord Era, Second Sino-Japanese War, and Chinese Civil War, earning notoriety for changing sides multiple times in co ...
ransacked Qing Imperial tombs including the tombs of Empress Dowager Cixi and the
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
. * Buddhist murals at the
Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves (, Uyghur: بزقلیق مىڭ ئۆيى ) is a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan) at the north-east of the Taklamakan Desert ...
were damaged by the local Muslim population. The eyes and mouths in particular were often gouged out. Pieces of murals were also broken off for use as fertilizer by the locals. * During the
Kumul Rebellion The Kumul Rebellion (, "Hami Uprising") was a rebellion of Hami, Kumulik Uyghurs from 1931 to 1934 who conspired with Hui people, Hui Islam in China, Chinese Muslim Gen. Ma Zhongying to overthrow Jin Shuren, governor of Xinjiang. The Kumul Uygh ...
in Xinjiang in the 1930s, Buddhist murals were vandalized by Muslims. *
Yongdingmen Yongdingmen (), literally meaning “Gate of Perpetual Peace”, was the former front gate of the outer city of Beijing's old city wall. Originally built in 1553 during Ming Dynasty, it was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the new road syst ...
, the former front gate of the outer city wall of the Beijing city fortifications, which dates back to 1553, was demolished in the 1950s to make way for the new road system. It was rebuilt in 2005. * The Gate of China in Beijing was demolished by the Chinese government in 1954 to make way for the expansion of Tiananmen Square. * A shrine dedicated to Wei Yan was destroyed by the Chinese government in 1968. A stone tablet which contained the record of his presence was lost after the demolition. The shrine was rebuilt in 1995. * During the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s, many artifacts, monuments, and buildings belonging to the
Four Olds The Four Olds or the Four Old Things () was a term used during the Cultural Revolution by the student-led Red Guards in the People's Republic of China in reference to the pre-communist elements of Chinese culture they attempted to destroy. The Fou ...
were attacked and destroyed, including: ** White Horse Temple in Luoyang, the oldest Buddhist temple in China. Some historical artifacts are still missing. ** Famen Buddhist Temple, Shaanxi. ** Tomb and remains of Ming Emperor Wanli and empresses. * According to anthropologist Robert E. Murowchick, a quarter million tombs have been raided since the 1990s to rob the antiquities which lay beneath them. Murowchick points out that growing demand for antiquities from both domestic and international markets have encouraged the tomb raiding in China. * China's aggressive development has resulted in the destruction of more than 30,000 items listed by the state administration of cultural heritage, compiled from various archaeological and historic sites. One conservation campaigner tells that the rate of destruction is worse than during the Cultural Revolution. Destroyed heritage sites include the old town in Dinghai, the old town of Laoximen in Shanghai, a centuries-old market street in Qianmen, and a section of the Great Wall of China. Historical neighborhoods of Beijing and Nanjing were also razed. * The construction of the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River caused water levels to rise, destroying entire cities as well as many historical locations along the river. * In 2016, the Chinese government ordered the demolition of historical housings in the
Larung Gar Larung Gar (, , ''luoruoxiang'') in the Larung Valley is a community in Sêrtar County of Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China, known as Kham. Larung Gar is the local name for the community of mostly Tibetan and Han Chinese ...
Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
Buddhist institution. * By 2017, the old town of
Kashgar Kashgar ( ug, قەشقەر, Qeshqer) or Kashi ( zh, c=喀什) is an oasis city in the Tarim Basin region of Southern Xinjiang. It is one of the westernmost cities of China, near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan ...
had been destroyed by the Chinese government, and replaced by a significantly smaller and lower-quality "theme park" version of the site. * During the
2020 China floods In early June 2020, heavy rains caused by the regional rainy season led to floods severely affecting large areas of southern China including the Yangtze basin and its tributaries. Rains and floods extended to central and eastern China during J ...
, multiple historic bridges were destroyed, including the
Lecheng Bridge Lecheng Bridge () was a Bridge, stone arch bridge in Sanxi, Jingde County, Sanxi Town of Jingde County, Anhui, China. It spanned the . It was long and wide. History Lecheng Bridge was originally built in 1543, in the 22nd year of Jiajing period ...
and the
Zhenhai Bridge Zhenhai Bridge () was a large stone arch bridge in Tunxi District of Huangshan City, Anhui, China. The bridge went across the , and had a total history of more than 400 years. The bridge was long and had wide. History It is said that Zhenhai Bri ...
.


India

*In 1024, during the reign of
Bhima I Bhima I (r. c. 1022–1064 CE) was a Chaulukya king who ruled parts of present-day Gujarat, India. The early years of his reign saw an invasion from the Ghaznavid ruler Mahmud, who sacked the Somnath temple. Bhima left his capital and took s ...
, the prominent
Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...
ruler
Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At th ...
raided Gujarat, plundered and destroyed the Somnath temple and broke its ''
jyotirlinga A Jyotirlinga () or Jyotirlingam, is a devotional representation of the Hindu god Shiva. The word is a Sanskrit compound of ('radiance') and ('sign'). The Śiva Mahāpurāṇam (also ''Shiva Purana'') mentions 64 original ''jyotirlinga'' s ...
''. In 1299, Alauddin Khalji's army under the leadership of Ulugh Khan defeated
Karandev II Karna ( IAST: Karṇa, r. c. 1296 – c. 1304) was the last Vaghela king of Gujarat region in India. Little is known about his life except his defeat against Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate. Alauddin's forces ransacked his kingdom i ...
of the Vaghela dynasty, and sacked the (rebuilt) Somnath temple. By 1665, the rebuilt temple was once again ordered destroyed by
Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...
emperor
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
. In 1702, he ordered that if Hindus had revived worship there, it should be demolished completely. *In 1323, when the
Kakatiya dynasty The Kakatiya dynasty (IAST: Kākatīya) was an Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries. Th ...
refused to pay tribute to the
Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).
, Ulugh Khan under orders from his father and sultan Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq laid siege to the Warangal Fort and destroyed it. *Around 1200 CE, the most prominent seats of learning in Ancient India, Nalanda University, Buddhist Monasteries and Educational centers of Vikramasila and
Odantapuri Odantapuri (also called Odantapura or Uddandapura) was a prominent Buddhist Mahavihara in what is now Bihar Sharif in Bihar, India. It is believed to have been established by the Pala ruler Gopala I in the 8th century. It is considered the second ...
were sacked and destroyed by Bengal ruler
Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto :اختيار الدين محمد بختيار غلزۍ, fa, اختیارالدین محمد بختیار خلجی, bn, ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ ...
. *The famous Martand Sun Temple, located in
Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...
, was destroyed by the
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
Sultan Sikandar Butshikan in the early 15th century, with demolition lasting a year. *In 1565 CE, after the Battle of Talikota, the capital city of Vijayanagara, with all its temples, palaces, mansions and monuments, was sacked and destroyed by an invading army raised by the five Bahamani Sultanates. What remains now are the ruins of Hampi. *In 1664, Aurangzeb destroyed the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and built the
Gyanvapi Mosque The Gyanvapi Mosque is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was constructed by Aurangzeb in 1669 upon demolition of an older Shiva temple. Pre-mosque history Vishweshwar temple The site had a Vishweshwar temple devoted to the ...
over its walls. The remnants of the temple wall can still be seen today, as was depicted in the 19th century sketch by
James Prinsep James Prinsep FRS (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840) was an English scholar, orientalist and antiquary. He was the founding editor of the ''Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'' and is best remembered for deciphering the Kharosthi and B ...
. Christian missionary Edwin Greaves (1909), of the London Missionary Society, described the site as follows: "At the back of the mosque and in continuation of it are some broken remains of what was probably the old Bishwanath Temple. It must have been a right noble building; there is nothing finer, in the way of architecture in the whole city, than this scrap. A few pillars inside the mosque appear to be very old also." *In 1696, the Madrasa Mahmud Gawan of Bidar was struck by lightning and a part of it was destroyed. *On 6 December 1992, the
Babri Masjid Babri Masjid (IAST: Bābarī Masjid; meaning ''Mosque of Babur'') was a mosque in Ayodhya, India, at a site believed by many Hindus to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Rama. It has been a focus of dispute between the Hindu and Muslim communi ...
was
destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...
by
Hindu nationalists Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent. "Hindu nationalism" or the correct term ''Hindū rāṣṭ ...
*On 26 April 2016, the
National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) was a museum focusing on nature, located in New Delhi, India. Established in 1972 and opened in 1978, the museum functioned under the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the government of India. T ...
and its valuable collection of animal fossils and stuffed animals was destroyed by fire.


Indonesia

* Kraton Majapahit, the royal palace of
Majapahit Majapahit ( jv, ꦩꦗꦥꦲꦶꦠ꧀; ), also known as Wilwatikta ( jv, ꦮꦶꦭ꧀ꦮꦠꦶꦏ꧀ꦠ; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia that was ba ...
emperors, was destroyed in a rebellion. What remained of the palace and fortifications around it was further looted by treasure hunters during the Dutch colonial era. *The original Gambir railway station. Demolished in 1988 due making new overpass line. * In 2016 it was discovered that the wrecks of cruiser HNLMS ''Java'', HNLMS ''De Ruyter'', HMS ''Exeter'', destroyer HNLMS ''Kortenaer'', HMS ''Electra'', HMS ''Encounter'' and USS ''Pope'' which are located in the
Java Sea The Java Sea ( id, Laut Jawa, jv, Segara Jawa) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its nort ...
have been destroyed by illegal salvage operations. * The roof that covers the line 1 and 2 was demolished in 2019 due to expansion of the
Jatinegara Station Jatinegara Station (JNG) is a large type A-class railway station located on the border between Jatinegara and Matraman in Pisangan Baru Subdistrict, Matraman, East Jakarta. The station is the main entrance to Jakarta from cities east of Jakarta. Ja ...
. The original station still remains.


Iran

*In 330 BC, Alexander the Great sent the main force of his army to Persepolis by the Royal Road and
destroyed Destroyed may refer to: * ''Destroyed'' (Sloppy Seconds album), a 1989 album by Sloppy Seconds * ''Destroyed'' (Moby album), a 2011 album by Moby See also * Destruction (disambiguation) Destruction may refer to: Concepts * Destruktion, a ...
it. *During the reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, the
Nahavand castle Nahāvand Castle ( fa, قلعه نهاوند) was an ancient castle from Sasanian Persia that was located in what is now the city of Nahavand in Hamedan province, Iran. The fall of this castle in the Battle of Nahavand was a major turning point in ...
was ruined hoping to find treasures beneath.


Iraq

* The
Hanging Gardens of Babylon The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World listed by Hellenic culture. They were described as a remarkable feat of engineering with an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a wide variety of tre ...
, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, are believed to have been destroyed sometime after the 1st century AD. Their existence is not confirmed by archaeology, and there have been suggestions that the gardens were purely mythical. * The Round City of Baghdad, the seat of the
Abbasid caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came t ...
, was sacked by the Mongols led by Hulegu in 1258. Large section of the city as well as irrigation system and the
House of Wisdom The House of Wisdom ( ar, بيت الحكمة, Bayt al-Ḥikmah), also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad, refers to either a major Abbasid public academy and intellectual center in Baghdad or to a large private library belonging to the Abba ...
, a library and intellectual center, were destroyed. The city was attacked again by Tamerlane in 1401, leading to the almost destruction. * Several historical
gates of Baghdad The gates of Baghdad ( ar, أبواب بغداد) refers to the several bab, meaning gate in Arabic, connected by walls surrounding the city of Baghdad. The gates and the walls were designed to protect the city from foreign incursions. Some of the ...
dating back to the 12th century were demolished by the occupying
Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
and Ottoman forces during the First World War. * Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, various archaeological sites and museums have been looted, including the ancient cities of Adab, Hatra and
Isin Isin (, modern Arabic: Ishan al-Bahriyat) is an archaeological site in Al-Qādisiyyah Governorate, Iraq. Excavations have shown that it was an important city-state in the past. History of archaeological research Ishan al-Bahriyat was visited b ...
where
U.S. military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...
protection was absent. The most prominent among them being the Iraq Museum where as much as 170,000 items were looted, including the 5,000 year old statues. In addition, several sites such as
Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
saw the destruction of its archaeology-rich subsoil as a result of military planning. * During the civil war ensued the 2003 invasion, several historical sites were destroyed by various groups. In 2006 and 2007,
Al-Askari Mosque , native_name_lang = ara , image = Al-Asakari Mosque 4.jpg , image_upright = 1.4 , alt = , caption = Al-Asakari Mosque in January 2017 , map_type = Iraq , map_size = 240 , map_alt = , map_relief = 1 , map_caption = Location in Iraq , ...
was bombed by Sunni militants twice in the course of two years. In 2006, the
Minaret of Anah , native_name_lang = ar , image = Manarat Anah 2.jpg , image_upright = 1.4 , alt = , caption = The minaret of Anah, in 2013 , map_type = Iraq , map_size = 240 , map_alt = , map_relief = 1 , map_caption = Location in Iraq, prior to its ...
and the statue of Al-Mansur were bombed by Shia militant and destroyed. All the aforementioned buildings were later reconstructed. * The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) destroyed much of the cultural heritage in the areas it controlled in Iraq. At least 28 religious buildings were looted and destroyed, including Shiite mosques, tombs, shrines and churches. In addition, numerous ancient and medieval sites and artifacts, including the ancient cities of Nimrud and Hatra, parts of the wall of
Nineveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...
, the ruins of
Bash Tapia Castle Bash Tapia Castle, (Arabic: باشطابيا) also known as Bashtabiya Castle or Pashtabia Castle, is a ruined 12th-century castle located on the western bank of the Tigris river, forming part of the city wall of Mosul, Iraq. It was partially d ...
and
Dair Mar Elia Dair Mar Elia ( syr, ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܐܝܠܝܐ, ar, دير مار إيليا), also known as Saint Elijah's Monastery, was a Christian monastery located just south of Mosul, in the Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. It was founded in the late 6th c ...
, and artifacts from the Mosul Museum were also destroyed.


Israel and Palestine

* The First Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587 BCE, and the
Second Temple The Second Temple (, , ), later known as Herod's Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple, which had been built at the same location in the United Kingdom of Israel before being inherited ...
by the Roman Empire in 70 CE. *Following the
conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...
of the
Old City of Jerusalem The Old City of Jerusalem ( he, הָעִיר הָעַתִּיקָה, translit=ha-ir ha-atiqah; ar, البلدة القديمة, translit=al-Balda al-Qadimah; ) is a walled area in East Jerusalem. The Old City is traditionally divided into ...
by the Arab Legion in 1948, under the Jordanian annexation, Jewish sites were systematically damaged and destroyed. In particular, all but one of the thirty-five synagogues of the Jewish Quarter were destroyed. * Following Israel's victory during the
1967 Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states (primarily Egypt, Syria, and Jordan) from 5 to 10 Jun ...
the
Israeli military The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branc ...
destroyed a large part of the Moroccan Quarter in Jerusalem's Old Town to make room for a plaza in front of the Western Wall. * The Baptist Church of Jerusalem in Narkis Street was burned down by Jewish Nationalists in 1982, and subjected to an arson attack in 2007. *In 1996, the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf began unauthorized construction on the Temple Mount, damaging ancient structures and weakening the stability of the Southern Wall. 300 truckloads of topsoil were excavated and dumped in the Kidron Valley without permitting proper archaeological care. (See Temple Mount Sifting Project). *In 2015, in one of a series of attacks on churches in Israel and the West Bank by Jewish extremist groups, a former settler on the West Bank torched and set fire to the Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha on the shore of the
Sea of Galilee The Sea of Galilee ( he, יָם כִּנֶּרֶת, Judeo-Aramaic: יַמּא דטבריא, גִּנֵּיסַר, ar, بحيرة طبريا), also called Lake Tiberias, Kinneret or Kinnereth, is a freshwater lake in Israel. It is the lowest ...
in northern Israel. This was the church where some Christians believe Jesus to have carried out his miracle of the
feeding of the 5000 In Christianity, the feeding the multitude is two separate miracles of Jesus reported in the Gospels. The first miracle, the "Feeding of the 5,000", is the only miracle—aside from the resurrection—recorded in all four gospels (Matthew 14:13 ...
. *
Joseph's Tomb Joseph's Tomb ( he, קבר יוסף, ''Qever Yosef''; ar, قبر يوسف, ''Qabr Yūsuf'') is a funerary monument located in Balata village at the eastern entrance to the valley that separates Mounts Gerizim and Ebal, 300 metres northwest of ...
in the city of Nablus has been repeatedly vandalized, with Palestinian mobs burning and pillaging it immediately after the withdrawal of
Israeli forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
in 2000, in 2003, and in 2009, when the tomb was vandalized with graffiti including
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. It ...
s. The tomb was vandalized again by Palestinian rioters in 2015 and 2022.


Japan

*The majority of Japanese castles were smashed and destroyed in the late 19th century in the Meiji restoration by the Japanese people and government in order to modernize and westernize Japan and break from their past feudal era of the Daimyo and Shoguns. It was only due to the
1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...
in Japan that concrete replicas of those castles were built for tourists. The vast majority of castles in Japan today are new replicas made out of concrete. In 1959 a concrete keep was built for Nagoya castle. *An earth wall with uneven stones made up the original base of Komine Castle before it collapsed in the 1970s due to rain. The Japanese local government repaired it with concrete and the entire section of the repaired wall was destroyed by the earthquake in 2011 due to using concrete. The Japanese government then begged for photographs of the original wall from local citizens as they had no idea what it looked like to repair it to its original state. *The destroyed Kumamoto Castle,
Fushimi Castle , also known as or Fushimi-Momoyama Castle, is a Japanese castle located in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Fushimi Castle was constructed from 1592 to 1594 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the Sengoku period as his retirement residence. Fushimi Castle ...
, Hiroshima Castle were rebuilt with concrete after World War II and Tokyo Imperial Palace was rebuilt after World War II. Kinkaku-ji was rebuilt after a monk burned it down. Kyoto Imperial Palace was rebuilt in 1855. *The Japanese used mostly concrete in 1934 to rebuild the
Togetsukyo Bridge is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Notable to ...
, unlike the original destroyed wooden version of the bridge from 836. *Japanese had to look at old paintings in order to find out what the Horyuji temple used to look like when they rebuilt it. *During the Meiji restoration's
Shinbutsu bunri The Japanese term indicates the separation of Shinto from Buddhism, introduced after the Meiji Restoration which separated Shinto ''kami'' from buddhas, and also Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, which were originally amalgamated. It is a ...
, tens of thousands of Japanese Buddhist religious idols and temples were smashed and destroyed. Japan then closed and shut done tens of thousands of traditional old Shinto shrines in the Shrine Consolidation Policy and the Meiji government built the new modern 15 shrines of the Kenmu restoration as a political move to link the Meiji restoration to the Kenmu restoration for their new
State Shinto was Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor as ...
cult. *Japanese building company Kongō Gumi started using CAD software and concrete with wood to build temples after the Meiji restoration. *The Japanese built a Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) statue out of concrete at a temple Ryozen Kannon in Kyoto which was constructed after World War II. *The Japanese in 1958 used concrete to rebuild the Kannon-do temple at the Senso-ji Temple in Toko after it was destroyed in 1945 in World War II. * Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto: Seriously damaged in 1877 during the
Siege of Kumamoto Castle The from February 19 to April 12, 1877, in Kumamoto, Japan, was a major battle of the Satsuma Rebellion. Summary After the opening of hostilities between Satsuma and the Meiji government, Satsuma military leader Saigō Takamori announced his int ...
, part of the larger Satsuma Rebellion; subsequently rebuilt in the 1960s, with further historical restoration work completed from 1998 to 2008. The castle was again seriously damaged during
2016 Kumamoto earthquakes The were a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 mainshock which struck at 01:25  JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25  UTC on April 15) beneath Kumamoto City of Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu Region, Japan, at a depth of ...
, with the required rebuilding effort estimated to take several decades. * Shuri Castle, a palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom first built in the 14th century, was destroyed during the
Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
in World War II. The Japanese forces had set up a defense perimeter which goes through the underground of the castle. U.S. military targeted this location by shelling with the battleship USS Mississippi (BB-41) for three days in May 1945. The castle burned down subsequently after. It was later reconstructed in the 1990s. On the morning of 31 October 2019, the main courtyard structures of the castle were again destroyed in a fire. *The Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) of Kyoto was burnt down by an arsonist in 1950, but was restored in 1955. *A large number of Important Cultural Property, libraries, museums, and other archives were damaged or destroyed by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
. *
Blood tax riots The were a series of violent uprisings around Japan in the spring of 1873 in opposition to the institution of mandatory military conscription for all male citizens (described as a "blood tax") in the wake of the Meiji Restoration. Secondary caus ...
, the Japanese Meiji government brutally put down revolts by Japanese samurai angry that the traditional
untouchable Untouchable or The Untouchable may refer to: People * Untouchability, the practice of socially ostracizing a minority group of very low social status ** A word for the Dalits or Scheduled Caste of India, a group that experiences untouchability * ...
status of burakumin was legally revoked. * chonmage, under the Meiji Restoration, the practices of the samurai classes, deemed feudal and unsuitable for modern times following the end of in 1853, resulted in a number of edicts intended to 'modernise' the appearance of upper class Japanese men. With the Dampatsurei Edict of 1871 issued by
Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...
during the early
Meiji Era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...
, men of the samurai classes were forced to cut their hair short, effectively abandoning the .


Malaysia

*Candi Number 11 also known as Candi Sungai Batu Estate, a 1,200 year old ruin of a tomb-temple located in the Bujang Valley historical complex in Kedah was demolished in 2013 by housing developers who claimed not to have known the historical significance of the stone edifice.


Maldives

*On 7 February 2012, in the aftermath of the coup in which
Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed GCSK (; born 17 May 1967) is a Maldivian politician and activist currently serving as the 19th speaker of the People's Majlis since May 2019. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, he served as President of the ...
was toppled as President, the National Museum was stormed by Islamists who destroyed Buddhist artifacts. Most of Maldive's Buddhist physical history was obliterated.
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
artifacts were also targeted for obliteration and the actions have been compared to the attacks on the
Buddhas In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...
by the Taliban.


Myanmar

* Shwedagon Paya temple complex in Yangon, built c. 6th and 10th centuries AD, was severely damaged after Cyclone Nargis passed the region in 2008, which caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar.


Nepal

*The 7.8 Nepal earthquake in 2015 demolished heritages in
Kathmandu valley The Kathmandu Valley ( ne, काठमाडौं उपत्यका; also known as the Nepal Valley or Nepa Valley ( ne, नेपाः उपत्यका, Nepal Bhasa: 𑐣𑐾𑐥𑐵𑑅 𑐐𑐵𑑅, नेपाः गाः)), ...
. It destroyed centuries old medieval temples and palaces in the Kathmandu,
Bhaktapur , motto = ne, पुर्खले सिर्जेको सम्पत्ती, हाम्रो कला र संस्कृति , lit=Creation of our ancestors, our heritage and culture , image_map ...
and
Patan Patan may refer to several places in Afghanistan, India and Nepal: Afghanistan *Patan, Afghanistan India * Patan district, in the state of Gujarat * Patan, Gujarat, the main city of the eponymous district * Patan was the ancient capital of Gujara ...
Durbar Squares along with the tower of Dharahara, the temple of
Changunarayan Changunarayan ( ne, चाँगुनारायण) is a municipality in Bhaktapur District in the Province No. 3 of Nepal and is part of the urban agglomeration of the Kathmandu Valley. The municipality was created through the merger of the ...
, some temples of the Pahupatinath complex, the main stupa of Boudhanath and the temples of Swayambhunath Stupa.


Pakistan

*The Archaeological site of
Harappa Harappa (; Urdu/ pnb, ) is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about west of Sahiwal. The Bronze Age Harappan civilisation, now more often called the Indus Valley Civilisation, is named after the site, which takes its name from a mode ...
which dates back to 2600 BCE was heavily damaged during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Bricks from the ruins were brought out and used as track ballast during the construction of Lahore–Multan railway line. Since the discovery, the site was constantly being damaged by the local farmers in the process of turning it into an agriculture land. *
Sun Temple of Multan The Sun Temple of Multan was a temple dedicated to Surya, the Hindu Sun God, in the city of Multan. It commanded significant fame in the subcontinent as a place of pilgrimage and wealth under Hindu as well as Islamic rule before being destroyed ...
, a grand Hindu temple dedicated to the Sun deity built in 614 CE or earlier, was destroyed in the late 10th century by Ismaili rulers and a mosque was built atop it, which was also destroyed in the 11th century by Mahmud of Ghazni. The ruins of the temple exist in modern day Multan, Pakistan. * Prahladpuri Temple, Multan, was destroyed by a Muslim mob in 1992 in the aftermath of Babri mosque destruction in neighboring India. *
Shaheed Ganj Mosque Shaheed Ganj Mosque, originally named the Abdullah Khan Mosque ( ur, ), was a mosque in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The Mosque was commissioned in 1722 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah and built by Abdullah Khan construction was co ...
in Lahore was demolished by the
Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
in 1935.
Sikhs Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ...
had been occupying the public square near the mosque since the capture of Lahore by Bhangi Misl in the 18th century. The conflict concerning the mosque had heightened during the colonial era, as Muslims were forbidden to pray there by the mosque administration. The demolishing of the mosque had led to the Muslims protesters holding marches toward the mosque, which was dispersed by the police opening fire on them. *Looters and the Taliban destroyed much of Pakistan's Buddhist artifacts left over from the Buddhist Gandhara civilization especially in Swat Valley. Gandhara Buddhist relics were deliberately targeted by the Taliban for destruction, and illegally looted by smugglers.
Kushan The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...
era Buddhist stupas and statues in Swat valley, including the Jehanabad Buddha's face, were demolished by the Taliban. The government was criticized for doing nothing to safeguard the statue after the initial attempt at destroying the Buddha, which did not cause permanent harm, and when the second attack took place on the statue the feet, shoulders, and face were demolished. A rehabilitation attempt on the Buddha was made by Luca Olivieri and a group from Italy.


Philippines

* During the Spanish Colonization of the Philippine islands, the Spanish observed native structures called ''Kota'' or citadels made of large wooden houses or lime stones which made up the ancient cosmopolitan city-states of Luzon , Visayas and even in Mindanao. * The City of Cainta was a fortified city. According to the descriptions by early Spanish chroniclers, it was surrounded by bamboo thickets, defended by a
log Log most often refers to: * Trunk (botany), the stem and main wooden axis of a tree, called logs when cut ** Logging, cutting down trees for logs ** Firewood, logs used for fuel ** Lumber or timber, converted from wood logs * Logarithm, in mathe ...
wall, stone bulwarks and several
lantaka The ''Lantaka'' (Baybayin: pre virama: ''ᜎᜆᜃ'': post virama: ''ᜎᜈ᜔ᜆᜃ'') also known as ''rentaka'' (In Malay) was a type of bronze portable cannon or swivel gun, sometimes mounted on merchant vessels and warships in Maritime Sou ...
s, and an arm of the Pasig river flowed through the middle of the city, dividing it into two settlements. with a population with about a thousand inhabitants, and was surrounded by very tall and very dense bamboo thickets, and fortified with a wall and a few small culverins. The same river as that of Manila circles around the village and a branch of it passes through the middle dividing it in two sections. As described in the anonymous 1572 account documented in Volume 3 of Blair and Robertson's compiled translations: In August 1571,
Miguel Lopez de Legazpi --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disam ...
assigned his nephew, Juan de Salcedo, to "pacify" Cainta. After travelling several days upriver, Salcedo lay siege to the city, and eventually found a weak spot on the wall. The final Spanish attack over 400 residents of Cainta killed including their leader Gat Maitan. * Kota Selurong was the walled city of Manila along the south bank of the Pasig River. Kota Seludong, the seat of the power of the Kingdom of Maynila that was protected by a rammed earth fortress equipped with stockades, battlements and cannons. the Kota were destroyed in 1570 siege, after the Spanish forces invaded the city. Spanish accounts claim that Martin de Goiti ordered his men to set the city in fire. *During the Battle of Manila in 1945, most of the city's unique architecture was destroyed. After the battle, in the business district, only two buildings dating to before the war remained intact, and these buildings' plumbing had been looted. After the war ended, much of Manila was rebuilt in a modernist style, and thus the original architectural heritage of the city is largely lost. * Manila Jai Alai Building, a historic jai alai venue demolished in 2000 which was opposed by heritage conservationists. The demolition led to the passage of the
National Cultural Heritage Act The National Cultural Heritage Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 10066, is a Philippine law that created the Philippine Registry of Cultural Property (PRECUP) and took other steps to preserve historic buildings that are over 50 years ...
of 2009. *Several historic buildings were damaged or destroyed during the
2013 Bohol earthquake The 2013 Bohol earthquake occurred on October 15 at in Bohol, an island province located in Central Visayas, Philippines. The magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 7.2, with epicenter of Sagbayan, and its depth of focus was . It affe ...
, including the Loboc Church, the
Loon Church The Nuestra Señora de la Luz Parish Church (also ''Our Lady of Light Parish Church''), commonly known as Loon Church, is a Roman Catholic Church in the municipality of Loon, Bohol, Philippines, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran. The ...
, the
Maribojoc Church Maribojoc Church, also known as Santa Cruz Parish Church or Holy Cross Parish Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church in the municipality of Maribojoc, Bohol, Philippines, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tagbilaran. The parish was first e ...
and the
Baclayon Church La Purisima Concepcion de la Virgen Maria Parish Church (also ''The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary Parish Church''), commonly known as Baclayon Church, is a Roman Catholic Church in the municipality of Baclayon, Bohol, Philippines wi ...
. *The Philippine Su Kuang Institute building was demolished in 2017 after the owners sold the building to a private developer within the same year. The 1940s was the last Art Deco wooden school structure in
Binondo Binondo () is a district in Manila and is referred to as the city's Chinatown. Its influence extends beyond to the places of Quiapo, Santa Cruz, San Nicolas and Tondo. It is the oldest Chinatown in the world, established in 1594 by the ...
, Manila.


Saudi Arabia

* Various mosques and other historic sites, especially those relating to early Islam, have been destroyed in Saudi Arabia. Apart from early Islamic sites, other buildings such as the
Ajyad Fortress The Ajyad Fortress (Ottoman Turkish: قلعة أجياد, tr, Ecyad Kalesi; ar, قلعة أجياد) was an Ottoman citadel which stood on a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque of Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. Built in the late 18th centur ...
were also destroyed. This is done for economic reasons, to create room to accommodate
hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...
pilgrims (including luxury facilities for wealthy guests), as well as for ideological reasons related to the iconoclastic religious doctrine of the state Wahhabi sect. *
Ajyad Fortress The Ajyad Fortress (Ottoman Turkish: قلعة أجياد, tr, Ecyad Kalesi; ar, قلعة أجياد) was an Ottoman citadel which stood on a hill overlooking the Grand Mosque of Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia. Built in the late 18th centur ...
of the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
demolished for commercial development of the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower.


Singapore

* The
Singapore Stone The Singapore Stone is a fragment of a large sandstone slab which originally stood at the mouth of the Singapore River. The large slab, which is believed to date back to at least the 13th century and possibly as early as the 10th or 11th centu ...
was blown up in 1843 to make way for
Fort Fullerton A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
.


South Korea

* Hwangnyongsa, a massive Buddhist temple in
Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...
which dates back to the 7th century, was burned down by the Mongolians during their invasion in 1238. * Hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were shut down or destroyed during the Joseon period as a part of anti-Buddhism policy. In 1407, during the reign of
Taejong Taejong of Joseon (13 June 1367 – 8 June 1422), personal name Yi Bang-won (Korean: 이방원; Hanja: 李芳遠), was the third ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea and the father of King Sejong the Great. Before ascending to the throne, he wa ...
, the regulations were imposed on the number of Buddhist temples which limited to 88.
Sejong the Great Sejong of Joseon (15 May 1397 – 8 April 1450), personal name Yi Do (Korean: 이도; Hanja: 李祹), widely known as Sejong the Great (Korean: 세종대왕; Hanja: 世宗大王), was the fourth ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. Initial ...
further reduced the number to 36. Many Buddhist statues were also destroyed during the reign of
Jungjong Jungjong of Joseon (16 April 1488 – 29 November 1544), personal name Yi Yeok (Korean: 이역; Hanja: 李懌), firstly titled Grand Prince Jinseong (Korean: 진성대군; Hanja: 晉城大君), was the 11th ruler of the Joseon dynasty of Korea. ...
(1506–1544). * Namdaemun was damaged by fire caused by arson in 2008. It reopened in 2013. *In March 2021, a main hall of the historic
Naejangsan Naejangsan is a mountain located on the border of North Jeolla and South Jeolla provinces in southwestern South Korea, approximately three hours drive south of Seoul. It has an elevation of . National park Naejangsan forms the core of Naejangsan ...
temple in Jeongeup, was burned into ashes by a 53-year-old monk arsonist.


Sri Lanka

* The Palace of King Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa was set into fire by the Kalinga Magha lead Indian invaders in the 11th century. The ruins and the effect of the fire is still visible. * The Library of Jaffna, which had over 97,000 manuscripts, was
burned Burned or burnt may refer to: * Anything which has undergone combustion * Burned (image), quality of an image transformed with loss of detail in all portions lighter than some limit, and/or those darker than some limit * ''Burnt'' (film), a 2015 ...
in 1981, as a part of the Sri Lankan war.


Syria

*The
Aleppo Codex The Aleppo Codex ( he, כֶּתֶר אֲרָם צוֹבָא, romanized: , lit. 'Crown of Aleppo') is a medieval bound manuscript of the Hebrew Bible. The codex was written in the city of Tiberias in the tenth century CE (circa 920) under the ...
, the authoritative Hebrew Bible text, was partially destroyed during anti-Jewish riots in Syria in 1947. *Much of Syria's cultural heritage was damaged, destroyed, or looted during the Syrian Civil War. Destroyed buildings include the minaret of the Great Mosque of Aleppo and the Al-Madina Souq, while others such as Krak des Chevaliers were damaged. * Khusruwiyah Mosque (Husrev Mosque). * The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) destroyed the Lion of Al-lāt, the temples of
Bel BEL can be an abbreviation for: * The ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 country code for Belgium * ''BEL'' or bell character in the C0 control code set * Belarusian language, in the ISO 639-2 and SIL country code lists * Bharat Electronics Limited, an Indian stat ...
and
Baalshamin Baalshamin ( arc, ܒܥܠ ܫܡܝܢ ''Baʿal Šāmīn'' or ''Bʿel Šmīn'' Blit. "Lord of Heaven ), also called Baal Shamem ( phn, 𐤁𐤏𐤋 𐤔𐤌𐤌 ''Baʿl Šāmēm'') and Baal Shamaim ( he, ''Baʿal Šāmayīm''), was a Northwest Semit ...
, the Arch of Triumph, and other sites in Palmyra. The group also destroyed the
Monastery of St. Elian The Monastery of St. Elian was a Syriac Catholic monastery near the town of Al-Qaryatayn, along a trade route between the two major cities of Palmyra and Damascus in the Homs Governorate of central Syria. It was destroyed on 21 August 2015 by me ...
, the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church, and several ancient sculptures in the city of Raqqa. * During the
Turkish military operation in Afrin Operation Olive Branch ( tr, Zeytin Dalı Harekâtı) was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the majority-Kurdish Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Prot ...
in 2018,
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
shelling seriously damaged the ancient temple of Ain Dara in Afrin.


Thailand

In June 1932 in Siam—now Thailand—a revolution overthrew 700 years of absolute monarchy. A political structure based on a constitution that required non-royal governments elected by the people, was introduced. On 10 December 1936, the first post-revolution prime minister, Phraya Phahon, held a small ceremony to embed a small plaque the size of a dinner plate into the ground at the spot, in front of Bangkok's
Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall The Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall ( th, พระที่นั่งอนันตสมาคม : ''Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom'': translated as 'The place of immense gathering'Noobanjong, page 167) is a royal reception hall in Dusit Palace in ...
, where he had first announced the end of the absolute monarchy. The inscription on it read: "Here on 24 June 1932 at dawn, the People's Party proclaimed a constitution for the country's advancement." Eighty years later, sometime between 2–8 April 2017, the democracy plaque was replaced by a new plaque. Its message read: "To love and respect the Buddhist trinity, one's own state, one's own family, and to have a heart faithful to your monarch, will bring prosperity to the country". Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha dismissed the theft and replacement of the plaque as unimportant. The police insisted they could not investigate the plaque's disappearance because they did not know who owned the plaque. Investigation stalled as all 11
CCTV Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly t ...
cameras in the area had been removed days before the plaque was taken. On 20 September 2020, a new updated version of the plaque was installed by democracy activists at Sanam Luang. Within a day of its installation it was removed by persons unknown.


Turkey

* The
Library of Antioch The Royal Library of Antioch was commissioned by Antiochus III the Great, Antiochus III (or Antiochus the Great) of the Seleucid Empire (a successor state of Alexander the Great's empire) around 221 B.C. in Antioch (now Antakya) and opened to schola ...
was ordered destroyed by the Roman Emperor
Jovian Jovian is the adjectival form of Jupiter and may refer to: * Jovian (emperor) (Flavius Iovianus Augustus), Roman emperor (363–364 AD) * Jovians and Herculians, Roman imperial guard corps * Jovian (lemur), a Coquerel's sifaka known for ''Zoboomafo ...
in 363 AD. * The Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was destroyed by arson in 356 BC. It was later rebuilt, but was damaged in a raid by Goths in 268 AD. Its stones were subsequently used in other buildings. A few fragments of the structure still survive '' in situ''. * The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, another Wonder of the Ancient World, was destroyed by a series of earthquakes between the 12th and 15th centuries. Most of the remaining marble blocks were burnt into lime, but some were used in the construction of Bodrum Castle by the Knights Hospitaller, where they can still be seen today. The only other surviving remains of the
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
are some foundations ''in situ'', a few sculptures in the British Museum, and some marble blocks which were used to build a dockyard in Malta's Grand Harbour *Port city of Izmir (Smyrna) during the Great fire of Smyrna in the aftermath of the Greco-Turkish war. * The abandonment and confiscation of Armenian monasteries and cultural heritage in places such as Ani contributed to their eventual destruction. In 1974, UNESCO stated that after 1923, out of 913 Armenian historical monuments left in Eastern Turkey, 464 had vanished completely, 252 were in ruins, and 197 needed repair. In 2011, there were 34 Armenian churches functioning in Turkey, primarily in Istanbul.


Turkmenistan

* The Church of the Transfiguration in Ashgabat was destroyed in 1932 by the Soviet Government. *The country's only Bahá’í Temple, in Ashgabat (called Ishqabad by its followers) which was completed in 1908 was later destroyed in 1962 after being damages in the 1948 Earthquake.


Europe


Albania

*
Sulejman Pasha Mosque The Old Mosque ( sq, Xhamia e Vjetër) or Sulejman Pasha mosque ( sq, Xhamia e Sulejman Pashës) was the founding mosque of the Albanian capital Tirana. The city developed around the mosque, which was founded by the Ottoman Albanian Pasha Sule ...
, the dome and mosque were destroyed during World War II, while its
minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...
remained until 1967, when the communist regime of
Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania from 1941 unt ...
built a war memorial in its place. Many religious sites have also been destroyed over the years.


Austria

* Vienna's
Cathedral of St. Stephen St. Stephen's Cathedral (german: Stephansdom) is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vienna and the seat of the Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, OP. The current Romanesque and Gothic form of the cathedra ...
was severely damaged by fire in 1945, towards the end of the Second World War. Incendiary bombs and shelling had set the roof on fire, and the cathedral's original larch girders, said to be made from an entire forest of larches, were destroyed, as were the Rollinger choir stalls, carved in 1487. The building was rebuilt soon after the war.


Belgium

* The Palace of Coudenberg in Brussels burned down in 1731 and its ruins were demolished half a century later. * Many churches and abbeys were demolished during the
French occupation French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
in the late 18th century, amongst them the St. Lambert's Cathedral in
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
, the
St. Donatian's Cathedral St. Donatian's Cathedral ( nl, Sint-Donaaskathedraal) was a Roman Catholic cathedral in Bruges, Belgium. Located on the Burg, one of the main squares in the city,Dunford and Lee, p.174.McDonald, p.14.McDonald, p.25. it was the largest church in Bru ...
and
Eekhout Abbey Eekhout Abbey ( nl, Eekhoutabdij) was a medieval house of Augustinian Canons in Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium. History The origin of the abbey, dedicated to Saint Bartholomew, was traditionally linked to the religious community that had grown ...
in Bruges,
Florennes Abbey Florennes Abbey (french: Abbaye de Florennes) is a former Benedictine monastery in Florennes, province of Namur, Wallonia, Belgium. The abbey was founded in the 11th century, but has left very few visible remains. History A community of canons ...
in Florennes, and St. Michael's Abbey in
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
. * The Herkenrode Abbey in
Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...
survived the French Revolution, but subsequently fell into disrepair. In 1826 a fire destroyed much of the church, and the remaining ruins were demolished in 1844. * On 25 August 1914, during World War I, the university library of
Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
was destroyed by the Germans. 230,000 volumes were lost, including medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and more than 1,000
incunabula In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pro ...
. After the war, a new library was built. During World War II, the new building was again set on fire and nearly a million books were lost. * During World War I, the city of Ypres was destroyed, including its ''Town Hall'' and '' Cloth Hall''. These monuments were later rebuilt. * The ''
Maison du Peuple House of the People can refer to: * House of the People (Afghanistan), the lower house of the National Assembly of Afghanistan * Lok Sabha ("House of the People"), the lower house of the Parliament of India * Palace of the Parliament ("House of th ...
'' in Brussels, one of the largest works of architect Victor Horta, was demolished in 1965 to make way for an office building. The surviving buildings designed by Horta were declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2000. *
Château Miranda Château Miranda ( en, Miranda Castle), also known as Château de Noisy ( en, Noisy Castle) was a 19th-century neo-Gothic castle in Celles, province of Namur, Wallonia, Belgium, in the region of the Ardennes. As of October 2017, the château ha ...
, a 19th century neo-Gothic castle in Celles was demolished in 2016-17. * The Valemprez farm, a 13th century farmhouse rebuilt in the 18th century in Dottignies. It was demolished in 2008


Bosnia and Herzegovina

* Through the course of the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
, numerous sites of cultural and religious heritage were destroyed: ** In the
Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...
during the Siege of Sarajevo, culturcide was committed by Army of Republika Srpska. The
National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NUL) (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Nacionalna i univerzitetska biblioteka Bosne i Hercegovine'' / Национална и у ...
was specifically targeted and besieged by cannons positioned all around the city and it was destroyed in the fire, along with 80 percent of its contents. Some 3 million books destroyed, along with hundreds of original documents from the Ottoman Empire and the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. **Muslim heritage sites suffered the most, with 614 mosques and several other religious facilities, schools, and institutions destroyed by the authorities of the
Republic of Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located ...
as a part of the ethnic cleansing campaign against the local Muslim populations. The most well known among them include Mehmed Pasha Kukavica Mosque,
Arnaudija Mosque Arnaudija Mosque ( bs, Arnaudija džamija; ) built in 1594, is a large mosque in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina before it was destroyed by the Army of Republika Srpska on 7 May 1993. Arnaudija is designated National Monument, by the Commissi ...
, and
Ferhat Pasha Mosque Ferhat Pasha Mosque, also known as ''Ferhadija Mosque'', may refer to: Bosnia and Herzegovina *Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Banja Luka) Ferhat Pasha Mosque ( bs, Ferhat-pašina džamija, tr, Ferhad Paşa Camii), also known as the Ferhadija Mosque, is ...
. A substantial proportion of these mosques date back to the Ottoman and
Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
era. **Roman Catholic sites also suffered with more than 269 churches being destroyed, which was associated with the killings of
Bosnian Croats The Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina (), often referred to as Bosnian Croats () or Herzegovinian Croats () are the third most populous ethnic group in the country after Bosniaks and Serbs, and are one of the constitutive nations of Bosnia and ...
, mostly by
Bosnian Serbs The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби у Босни и Херцеговини, Srbi u Bosni i Hercegovini) are one of the three constitutive nations (state-forming nations) of the country, predominantly residing in the politi ...
. **As many as 125 Serbian Orthodox religious buildings were destroyed in the war, such as the 13th-century Sase Monastery, Vozuća Monastery, and others. **Parts of the old city of Mostar, including the Stari Most, were destroyed by the Croatian Defence Council during the war. The Stari Most has been rebuilt. Another symbol of the city, the monumental Serbian Orthodox
Cathedral of the Holy Trinity Holy Trinity Cathedral, Cathedral of the Holy Trinity or Trinity Cathedral may refer to: Africa * Holy Trinity Cathedral (Addis Ababa), Ethiopia * Holy Trinity Cathedral (Accra), Ghana Americas Canada *Holy Trinity Cathedral (New Westminster), B ...
was shelled, set afire, and finally blown up by the local Croat forces. The reconstruction of the church is ongoing.


Croatia

*In the Independent State of Croatia 450 Serb Orthodox churches and monasteries were destroyed along with monumental iconostasis, thousands of icons and number of manuscripts and books which included archival books about births, weddings and deaths. The destroyed ritual items were of great cultural and historical importance and beauty. *War damage of the
Croatian War The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the Government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugos ...
(1991–1995) has been assessed on 2,271 protected cultural monuments, with the damage cost being estimated at 407 million DM.Destruction and Conservation of Cultural Property
ed. Robert Layton, Peter G. Stone & Julian Thomas, One World Archeology, Routledge 2001, London, pg. 162.
The largest numbers – 683 damaged cultural monuments – are located in the area of Dubrovnik and Neretva County. Most are situated in Dubrovnik itself. The entire buildings and possessions of 481 Roman Catholic churches, several synagogues, and several Serbian Orthodox churches were badly damaged or destroyed. Valuable inventories were looted from over 100 churches. The most drastic example of destruction of cultural monuments, art objects, and artifacts took place in Vukovar. After the occupation of the devastated city by the Yugoslav Army and Serbian paramilitary forces, portable cultural property was removed from shelters and museums in Vukovar to museums and archives in Serbia. **
Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac The Church of St. Nicholas or Karlovac Cathedral ( sr, Саборна црква Светог Николе у Карловцу), is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Karlovac, in central Croatia. The original church (destroyed in 1993) was fi ...
, destroyed between 1991 and 1993. Renovated in 2007. **Medieval Dragović monastery, Vrlika, destroyed in 1995. Reestablished in 2004. * After Croatia gained independence, about 3,000 memorials dedicated to the
anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...
resistance and the victims of fascism were destroyed. * In September 1991, Croatian forces entered the memorial site of the Jasenovac Concentration Camp and vandalized the museum building, while exhibitions and documentation were destroyed, damaged and looted.


Czech Republic

* The
Old Town Hall Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
in Prague was severely damaged by fire during the
Prague uprising The Prague uprising ( cs, Pražské povstání) was a partially successful attempt by the Czech resistance movement to liberate the city of Prague from German occupation in May 1945, during the end of World War II. The preceding six years of o ...
of 1945. The chamber where George of Poděbrady was elected King of Bohemia was devastated; the town hall's bell, the oldest in Bohemia, dating from 1313, was melted; and the city archives, comprising 70,000 volumes (most of which were transported to the outskirts of Prague due to the fear of the bombardment), as well as historically priceless manuscripts, were destroyed.


Denmark

* Copenhagen Fire of 1728, where a great part of medieval Copenhagen vanished. *
Christiansborg Palace Christiansborg Palace ( da, Christiansborg Slot; ) is a palace and government building on the islet of Slotsholmen in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the seat of the Danish Parliament ('), the Danish Prime Minister's Office, and the Supreme ...
, main residence of the
Danish Kings This is a list of Danish monarchs, that is, the kings and queens regnant of Denmark. This includes: * The Kingdom of Denmark (up to 1397) ** Personal union of Denmark and Norway (1380–1397) * The Kalmar Union (1397–1536) ** Union of Denmark, ...
, destroyed by fire in 1794. * Copenhagen Fire of 1795, where a great part of medieval and renaissance Copenhagen vanished. *
Hirschholm Palace Hirschholm Palace, also known as Hørsholm Palace, was a royal palace located in present-day Hørsholm municipality just north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It was rebuilt in the Baroque style in the 1740s and, one of the finest buildings of its time, it ...
, summer residence of the Danish Kings, demolished in 1809–1813 after it stood empty after its role in the affair between Johann Friedrich Struensee and Queen Caroline Matilda of Great Britain in the 1770s.


Estonia

*During World War II, 98% of the town of
Narva Narva, russian: Нарва is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in Ida-Viru County, Ida-Viru county, at the Extreme points of Estonia, eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva (river), Narva river which ...
was destroyed due to Soviet bombing raids. Only 3 buildings, including the
town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
, are still remaining.


France

*During the Siege of Strasbourg that took place at the height of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, the total destruction by shelling and fire of the municipal library and the municipal art and archaeology collections resulted in the loss of 400,000 books, 3,446 Medieval
manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...
, and thousands of
incunable In the history of printing, an incunable or incunabulum (plural incunables or incunabula, respectively), is a book, pamphlet, or broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. Incunabula were pr ...
s, as well as of hundreds of paintings,
stained glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
, and archaeological artefacts. The most famous lost object was the original manuscript of the
Hortus deliciarum __NOTOC__ The ''Hortus deliciarum'' (Latin for ''Garden of Delights'') was a medieval manuscript compiled by Herrad of Landsberg at the Hohenburg Abbey in Alsace, better known today as Mont Sainte-Odile. Description The ''Hortus deliciarum'' ...
. *On 23 May 1871, the Tuileries Palace, which had been the usual Parisian residence of French monarchs, was almost entirely gutted in a fire set by members of the Paris Commune, leaving only the stone shell. It was subsequently demolished in 1883. *In 1914, Reims Cathedral was burned as a result of shelling during the initial phase of the First World War. The cathedral was rebuilt after the war. *The
1978 Palace of Versailles bombing Around 2:30 am on Monday, 26 June 1978, the historic Palace of Versailles near Paris, France, was bombed by separatists belonging to the Breton Liberation Front (FLB). The powerful explosion occurred on the ground floor of the left wing of the pa ...
severely damaged parts of the
Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...
, including several priceless pieces of art. The palace was rebuilt and reopened to the public within four years. *On 15 April 2019, the roof of the
Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...
caught fire, severely damaging the
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...
s and resulting in the total collapse of the central spire and roof. The fire is believed to have been caused by the ongoing
restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...
, though an investigation is ongoing.


Germany

*Many historically and architecturally significant buildings were destroyed or severely damaged during World War II and the post-war period as a result of the Allied policy of area bombing of cities aimed at destroying or weakening infrastructure and war-related industry in the German Reich, as well as demoralizing the population by destroying urban cores and residential neighborhoods. Several hundred cities were destroyed, many of them by more than 80 percent. Striking examples are palaces like Berlin Palace,
Monbijou Palace Monbijou Palace was a Rococo palace in central Berlin located in the present-day Monbijou Park on the north bank of the Spree river across from today's Bode Museum and within sight of the Hohenzollern city palace. Heavily damaged in World War I ...
, and City Palace, Potsdam, as well as churches like Dresden Frauenkirche, Berlin Cathedral, and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Several have been rebuilt since 1990 (including all those mentioned except Monbijou Palace and Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church). *The Paulinerkirche was a medieval church from 1231 in Leipzig. The church survived the war practically unscathed but was dynamited in 1968 during the communist regime of East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, a new building in a contemporary style, the Paulinum, was built on the site. *The building housing the
Historical Archive of the City of Cologne The Historical Archive of the City of Cologne (german: Historisches Archiv der Stadt Köln, or german: Kölner Stadtarchiv for short) is the municipal archive of Cologne, Germany. It ranks among the largest communal archives in Europe. A municip ...
collapsed on 3 March 2009 during an underground railway line construction. *The Church of St. Lambertus in Immerath was demolished on 9 January 2018 as part of the demolition of the entire village to make way for an expansion of the Garzweiler surface mine. The church had been added to the list of heritage monuments in Erkelenz on 14 May 1985. *In October 2020, artworks displayed at various museums at
Museumsinsel The Museum Island (german: Museumsinsel) is a museum complex on the northern part of the Spree Island in the historic heart of Berlin. It is one of the most visited sights of Germany's capital and one of the most important museum sites in Euro ...
in Berlin were vandalized with a liquid that left stains on the artifacts.


Greece

*The
Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus of Rhodes ( grc, ὁ Κολοσσὸς Ῥόδιος, ho Kolossòs Rhódios gr, Κολοσσός της Ρόδου, Kolossós tes Rhódou) was a statue of the Greek sun-god Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes (city), Rhodes, on ...
, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was destroyed in the
226 BC Rhodes earthquake The Rhodes earthquake of 226 BC, which affected the island of Rhodes, Greece, is famous for having toppled the large statue known as the Colossus of Rhodes. Following the earthquake, the statue lay in place for nearly eight centuries before being ...
, and its remains were destroyed in the 7th century AD while Rhodes was under Arab rule. In December 2015, a group of European architects announced plans to build a modern Colossus where the original once stood. *The
Statue of Zeus at Olympia The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant seated figure, about tall, made by the Greek sculptor Phidias around 435 BC at the sanctuary of Olympia, Greece, and erected in the Temple of Zeus there. Zeus is the sky and thunder god in ancient Gr ...
, also a Wonder of the Ancient World, was destroyed around the 5th century CE, although it is not known exactly when or how. *The Parthenon was extensively damaged in 1687 during the
Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
(1683–1699). The Ottoman army fortified the Acropolis of Athens and used the Parthenon as a gunpowder magazine and a shelter for members of the local Turkish community. On 26 September, a Venetian mortar round blew up the magazine, and the explosion blew out the building's central portion. About three hundred people were killed in the explosion, which caused fires that burned until the following day and consumed many homes. The Parthenon was extensively and permanently damaged when Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin and ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (occupiers of Greece in the early 19th century), who admired the Parthenon's extensive collection of ancient marble sculptures, began extracting and expatriating them to Britain in 1801. More damage to the site's heritage came after independence, when all Medieval and Ottoman features of the Acropolis (most notably the Frankish Tower) were destroyed by
Heinrich Schliemann Johann Ludwig Heinrich Julius Schliemann (; 6 January 1822 – 26 December 1890) was a German businessman and pioneer in the field of archaeology. He was an advocate of the historicity of places mentioned in the works of Homer and an archaeologi ...
in a project to rid the site of all post- Classical influence.


Hungary

(Destroyed buildings of Budapest and Destroyed buildings of Hungary, both in Hungarian) *Numerous historical buildings in Budapest were damaged or destroyed during World War II, including the
Hungarian Parliament Building The Hungarian Parliament Building ( hu, Országház , which translates to "House of the Country" or "House of the Nation"), also known as the Parliament of Budapest after its location, is the seat of the National Assembly of Hungary, a notable l ...
, the Chain Bridge, and the Sándor Palace. These three have now been rebuilt.


Ireland

*During the
Battle of Dublin The Battle of Dublin was a week of street battles in Dublin from 28 June to 5 July 1922 that marked the beginning of the Irish Civil War. Six months after the Anglo-Irish Treaty ended the recent Irish War of Independence, it was fought betw ...
at the beginning of the
Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...
in 1922, munitions were stored at the Four Courts building, which housed 1,000 years of Irish records in the Public Record Office. Under circumstances that are disputed, the munitions exploded, destroying much of Ireland's historical record. *The Irish Republican Army followed a policy of deliberate
destruction of Irish country houses (1919–1923) The destruction of country houses in Ireland was a phenomenon of the Irish revolutionary period (1919–1923), which saw at least 275 country houses deliberately burned down, blown up, or otherwise destroyed by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). The ...
.


Italy

*Many historic gardens and villas were destroyed in Rome in the 19th century, including Villa Ludovisi, Villa Negroni and Villa Astalli; * Tower of Paul III and Convent of Aracoeli, demolished to make room for the Victor Emmanuel Monument. *Various historic buildings were demolished in the 19th and 20th centuries to make way for railways, industrial areas, or other modern buildings. Examples include the Castello di Villagonia and the
Real Cittadella The Real Cittadella was a fort in Messina, Sicily. The Cittadella was built between 1680 and 1686 by the Spanish Empire, and it was considered to be one of the most important fortifications in the Mediterranean. Most of the fort was demolished in ...
in Sicily. *Many historic buildings in Italy were destroyed or damaged during World War II. These include the monastery of Monte Cassino, which was destroyed during the
Battle of Monte Cassino The Battle of Monte Cassino, also known as the Battle for Rome and the Battle for Cassino, was a series of four assaults made by the Allies against German forces in Italy during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The ultimate objective was ...
but was rebuilt after the war. *Several historic buildings, books, paintings, and sculptures were destroyed during the Florence Flood of 1966. Also,
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
was affected during the flood of 1966. *Several churches and other heritage sites were damaged or destroyed during earthquakes such as the
1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake The 1997 Umbria and Marche earthquake occurred in the regions of Umbria and Marche, central Italy on the morning of September 26. It was preceded by a foreshock almost as strong as the main quake. The foreshock occurred at 02:33 CEST (00:33 UTC) ...
, the
2009 L'Aquila earthquake The 2009 L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock occurred at 03:32 CEST (01:32 UTC) on 6 April 2009, and was rated 5.8 or 5.9 on the Richter magnitude scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; ...
, and the
August 2016 Central Italy earthquake An earthquake, measuring 6.2 ± 0.016 on the moment magnitude scale, hit Central Italy on 24 August 2016 at 03:36:32 CEST (01:36 UTC). Its epicentre was close to Accumoli, with its hypocentre at a depth of 4 ± 1 km, ap ...
.


Kosovo

During the Yugoslavia period there was destruction of Albanian heritage endorsed by the state. A number of Albanian cultural sites in Kosovo were destroyed during the Kosovo conflict (1998–1999) which constituted a war crime violating the
Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
and Geneva Conventions. In all 225 out of 600 mosques in Kosovo were damaged, vandalised, or destroyed alongside other Islamic architecture and Islamic libraries and archives with records spanning 500 years.. Additionally 500 Albanian owned ''
kulla Kulla may refer to: *Kulla (god), god of builders in the Mesopotamian mythology. He is responsible for the creation of bricks and restoration of temples. *Kulla (goddess), an alternate name of Ukulla, a goddess regarded as the wife of the Mesopot ...
'' dwellings (traditional stone tower houses) and three out of four well preserved Ottoman period urban centres located in Kosovo cities were badly damaged resulting in great loss of traditional architecture. Kosovo's public libraries, in particular 65 out of 183 were completely destroyed with a loss of 900,588 volumes. During the war, Islamic architectural heritage posed for Yugoslav Serb paramilitary and military forces as Albanian patrimony with destruction of non-Serbian architectural heritage being a methodical and planned component of
ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...
in Kosovo. During World War II, a number of Serbian Orthodox religious sites were damaged or destroyed. During the 1968 and
1981 protests Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Fr ...
, Serbian Orthodox religious sites were the target of vandalism, that continued during the 1980s. NATO bombing in March–June 1999 resulted in some accidental damages to churches and a mosque. Revenge attacks against Serbian religious sites commenced following the conflict and the return of hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanian refugees to their homes. Serbian cultural sites in Kosovo were systematically destroyed in the aftermath of the Kosovo War and 2004 ethnic violence. According to the International Center for Transitional Justice this includes 155 destroyed Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries as well as
Medieval Monuments in Kosovo The Medieval Monuments in Kosovo ( sr, Средњовековни споменици на Косову, Srednjovekovni spomenici na Kosovu; ) are a World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries which r ...
, which were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.


Malta

*Parts of the megalithic Xagħra Stone Circle in
Gozo Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After t ...
were deliberately destroyed in around 1834–1835 and its megaliths were broken down to form masonry which was used in the construction of a nearby farmhouse. The site was subsequently forgotten for over a century before being rediscovered in the late 20th century. *A number of buildings of historical or architectural importance which had been included on the Antiquities List were destroyed by aerial bombardment during World War II, including Auberge d'Auvergne,
Auberge de France Auberge de France ( mt, Berġa ta' Franza) refers to two auberges in Valletta, Malta. They were both built in the 16th century to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of France, which induced the entire Kingdom of France ...
and the Slaves' Prison in Valletta, the
Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
,
Auberge d'Allemagne Auberge d'Allemagne ( mt, Berġa ta' Alemanja) was an auberge in Valletta, Malta. It was built between 1571 and 1575 to house knights of the Order of Saint John from the langue of Germany. It was vacated in 1798 when the Order was expelled ...
and Auberge d'Italie in Birgu, and two out of three megalithic temples at Kordin. Others such as
Fort Manoel Fort Manoel ( mt, Forti Manoel or ''Fortizza Manoel'') is a star fort on Manoel Island in Gżira, Malta. It was built in the 18th century by the Order of Saint John, during the reign of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena, after whom it i ...
also suffered severe damage, but were rebuilt after the war. *Other buildings which were not included on the Antiquities List but which had significant cultural importance were also destroyed during the war. The most notable of these was the Royal Opera House in Valletta, which is considered as "one of the major architectural and cultural projects undertaken by the British" by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. *The
Gourgion Tower Gourgion Tower ( mt, It-Torri ta' Gourgion or ''It-Torri Gorġun'', it, Torre Gourgion) was a fortified house in the outskirts of Xewkija, Gozo, Malta. The tower was built by Giovanni Gourgion in 1690, and it became a symbol of the village of X ...
in Xewkija, which was included on the Antiquities List, was demolished by American forces in 1943 to make way for an airfield. Many of its inscriptions and decorated stones were retrieved and they are now in storage at Heritage Malta. *
Palazzo Fremaux Palazzo Fremaux, also known as Palazzo de Fremaux, Villa Fremaux or Villa de Fremaux, was a townhouse in Żejtun, Malta. The building, together with a next door townhouse, was used as a hospital during the French blockade of 1798–1800. Des ...
, a building included on the Antiquities List and which was scheduled as a Grade 2 property, was gradually demolished between 1990 and 2003. The demolition was condemned by local residents, the local government and non-governmental organizations. *The Azure Window, a limestone natural arch on the island of Gozo in Malta. It was located in Dwejra Bay in the limits of San Lawrenz, close to the Inland Sea and the Fungus Rock. It was one of Malta's major tourist attractions. The arch, together with other natural features in the area of Dwejra, is featured in a number of international films and other media representations. The formation was anchored on the east end by the seaside cliff, arching over open water, to be anchored to a free standing pillar in the sea to the west of the cliff. It was created when two limestone sea caves collapsed. Following years of natural erosion causing parts of the arch to fall into the sea, the arch and free standing pillar collapsed completely during a storm in March 2017. *
Villa St Ignatius Villa St Ignatius ( mt, Villa Sant'Injazju) is a historic villa located in the Balluta Bay, Balluta area of St Julian's, Malta, St Julian's, Malta. It was built in the early 19th century for the English merchant John Watson, and it might be the ea ...
, a 19th-century villa with historical and architectural significance, was partially demolished in late 2017. This was condemned by numerous non-governmental organizations and other entities.


Netherlands

*The German bombing of Rotterdam that took place on 14 May 1940, also known as the Rotterdam Blitz, decimated most of the historical city center of the Dutch city of Rotterdam, which at the time was the second-largest city in the country. During the bombing, hundreds of years worth of architecture and artwork were destroyed within hours. *
De Noord ''De Noord'' (English: ''The North'') is a windmill located on the Noordvest 38 in Schiedam, Netherlands. It is the tallest windmill in the world with a roof height of 33.3 metres. Its wing span is 26.6 metres. The mill is one of the five remaini ...
, a tower mill which had survived the Rotterdam Blitz, suffered a fire in July 1954 and was demolished soon after. * Kareol, a huge Art Deco building in Aerdenhout. It was built in 1908-1911. It was the largest house being built by a private owner in The Netherlands in the 20th century. It was demolished in 1979. *
Kolleg St. Ludwig Kolleg St. Ludwig is a Maharishi European Research University (MERU) campus located in Vlodrop, The Netherlands. It was originally built in 1909, used as a Franciscan friary and boarding school and purchased by the Maharishi Foundation in 1984. Th ...
, a friary in Vlodrop. It was demolished in 2015.


Norway

*From 1992 to 1995, members of the Norwegian black metal scene began a wave of arson attacks on medieval Christian churches. By 1996, there had been at least 50 attacks.


Poland

* Warsaw Old Town, including the Royal Castle, Warsaw, Warsaw New Town,
Łazienki Park Łazienki Park or Royal Baths Park ( pl, Park Łazienkowski, Łazienki Królewskie) is the largest park in Warsaw, Poland, occupying 76 hectares of the city center. The park-and-palace complex lies in Warsaw's central district ('' Śródmieście ...
including the Łazienki Palace, and Ujazdowski Castle, was destroyed by Nazi Germany in 1944, and later rebuilt from the 1950s to 1980s.


Portugal

*
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
was almost destroyed during the
1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In combination with ...
and subsequent fire and tsunami. *A small section of the 19th-century quarter ''Chiado'' was destroyed by fire on 25 August 1988. The eighteen damaged buildings were rebuilt in the following 20 years.


Romania

*The 60-meter-high tower of Rotbav fortified church, dating back to the 13th century, collapsed on 20 February 2016. *Many historical buildings were demolished to construct the
Centrul Civic Centrul Civic (, ''the Civic Centre'') is a district in central Bucharest, Romania, which was completely rebuilt in the 1980s as part of the scheme of systematization under the dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, which included the construction of new ...
in Bucharest. *Many old towns of different cities were destroyed partially or completely because of communist urban planning. Old towns of cities like Bacău, Bârlad, Câmpina,
Galați Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
, Orșova,
Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical re ...
, Ploiești, Râmnicu Vâlcea, and Suceava were completely demolished. *The 1989 fire of the
Central University Library Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
in Bucharest destroyed over 500,000 books and 3,700 manuscripts, including manuscripts of famous Romanian writings, such as many of Mircea Eliade's novel manuscripts.


Russia

* In Moscow alone losses of 1917–2006 are estimated at over 640 notable buildings (including 150 to 200 listed buildings, out of a total inventory of 3,500) – some disappeared completely, others were replaced with concrete replicas. * President Boris Yeltsin ordered the shelling of the White House, seat of the Russian government, during his 1993 consolidation of power, causing a large fire and considerable damage to the top floors. * 'Mephistopheles', figure on a St Petersburg building on Lakhtinksaya Street known as the House with Mephistopheles, smashed by a fundamentalist Orthodox group in 2015. * The original buildings of Metrowagonmash plant, founded by Savva Mamontov in 1897 and built in Russian Gothic style, were demolished between 2016 and 2019 to make way for block houses.


Serbia

*A number of culturally and historically important buildings were destroyed in
Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
during Operation Retribution, the
Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II The Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II involved air attacks on cities and towns in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF), including the Balkan Air Force (BAF), between 1941 and 19 ...
, and various other battles. Destroyed buildings include the National Library of Serbia and the library's collection of 500,000 volumes and invaluable collection of medieval Cyrillic manuscripts and charters, King Alexander Bridge, Old Post Office, Sephard synagogue, and a number of other buildings. *The
Yugoslav Ministry of Defence building The Yugoslav Ministry of Defence building ( sr, Савезни секретариjaт за народну одбрану, Savezni Sekretarijat za Narodnu Odbranu, lit. "Federal Secretariat for the People's Defense"), also known as the Yugoslav Ge ...
, a cultural monument, was partially destroyed during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. NATO bombing also resulted in the damaging of medieval monuments, such as Gračanica Monastery, the
Patriarchate of Peć Patriarchate of Peć may refer to: * Patriarchate of Peć (monastery), Eastern Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, near the city of Peć * Serbian Patriarchate of Peć, medieval Serbian Patriarchate, with seat in Patriarc ...
and the
Visoki Dečani The Visoki Dečani Monastery ( sr, Манастир Високи Дечани, Manastir Visoki Dečani, sq, Manastiri i Deçanit) is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Deçan, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of ...
, which are on the UNESCO's World Heritage list today. Furthemore, 19 hospitals and 20 health centers were damaged, including the University Hospital Center Dr Dragiša Mišović, which was founded in 1922. The Avala Tower, one of the most iconic symbols of the Serbian capital, was destroyed during the bombing.


Slovenia

*
Partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * ''Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also know ...
forces or their successors destroyed approximately 100 castles and manors during and after the Second World War. Examples include Ajman Manor, Belnek Castle,
Boštanj Castle Boštanj ( or ; in older sources also ''Gorenji Boštanj'',''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 86. german: Obersavenstein, , , or ) is a ...
, Brdo Castle, Čušperk Castle, Dol Mansion, Dolena Castle, Gracar Castle, Haasberg Castle, Klevevž Castle, Kolovec Castle, Križ Castle, Krupa Castle, Mokronog Castle, Pogonik Castle, Radelstein Castle, Soteska Castle, Špitalič Manor, Turn Castle, and Volčji Potok Manor. * An Allied raid heavily damaged Žužemberk Castle during the Second World War. * Partisan forces or their successors destroyed many churches during and after the Second World War. Examples include the churches in
Ajbelj Ajbelj (; in older sources also ''Ajbel'';''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 34. german: Aibel, also ''Eibel'' or ''Eibl'') is a settlem ...
, Gabrje, Hinje, Koče,
Kočevska Reka Kočevska Reka (; german: Rieg''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 36.) is a settlement in the Municipality of Kočevje in southern Sloven ...
, Morava, Plešivica, Srobotnik pri Velikih Laščah, Stari Log, Trava,
Velika Račna Velika Račna (; german: Großratschna''Intelligenzblatt zur Laibacher Zeitung'', no. 141. 24 November 1849, p. 28.) is a village in the Municipality of Grosuplje in central Slovenia. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. Th ...
, Zafara, and
Žužemberk Žužemberk (; german: Seisenberg), is a town located southeast of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana. It is the seat of the Municipality of Žužemberk. The area is part of the historical region of Lower Carniola. The municipality is now includ ...
. * A German raid during the Second World War destroyed the church in Dragatuš. * Allied raids destroyed churches during the Second World War. Examples include the church in Dvor and Sts. Peter and Paul Church in
Ptuj Ptuj (; german: Pettau, ; la, Poetovium/Poetovio) is a town in northeastern Slovenia that is the seat of the Municipality of Ptuj. Ptuj, the oldest recorded city in Slovenia, has been inhabited since the late Stone Age and developed from a Roman ...
.


Soviet Union

* During February–March 1944, the Soviet conducted the expulsion of the Chechens and Ingush from the North Caucasus as a part of the Soviet forced settlement program of the non-Russian ethnic minorities. The operation resulted in the deportation of 496,000 Chechens and
Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language * Ingush people The Ingush (, inh, ГIалгIай, translit=Ghalghaj, pronounced ) per Oxford dictionary "a member of a people living mainly in Ingushetia in the central Caucasus." Ingushetia is a federa ...
populations, and the death of around a quarter of them. It was also accompanied by the destruction of local cultural and societal heritages; names of these nations were erased from the books and records; placenames were replaced with Russian ones; mosques were demolished; villages were razed; and the historical
Nakh language The Nakh languages are a group of languages within Northeast Caucasian family, spoken chiefly by the Chechens and Ingush in the North Caucasus. Bats is the endangered language of the Bats people, an ethnic minority in Georgia. The Chechen, In ...
manuscripts were almost destroyed. * The native Crimean Tatars were deported by the Soviets from the peninsula in May 1944. Afterward, the government engaged in a full-scale detatarization campaign to continue the ethnic cleansing campaign, all the Tatar placenames being replaced with Russian ones, and the Muslim graveyards and religious objects were destroyed or converted into secular places. * With the change in values imposed by communist ideology, the tradition of preservation was broken. Independent preservation societies, even those that defended only secular landmarks such as Moscow-based OIRU were disbanded by the end of the 1920s. A new anti-religious campaign, launched in 1929, coincided with collectivization of peasants; destruction of churches in the cities peaked around 1932. Several churches were demolished, including the
Cathedral of Christ the Saviour The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour ( rus, Храм Христа́ Спаси́теля, r=Khram Khristá Spasítelya, p=xram xrʲɪˈsta spɐˈsʲitʲɪlʲə) is a Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskv ...
in Moscow and St. Michael's Cathedral in Izhevsk. Both of these were rebuilt in the 1990s and 2000s. * In 1959 Nikita Khrushchev launched his anti-religious campaign. By 1964 over 10 thousand churches out of 20 thousand were shut down (mostly in rural areas) and many were demolished. Of 58 monasteries and convents operating in 1959, only sixteen remained by 1964; of Moscow's fifty churches operating in 1959, thirty were closed and six demolished.


Spain

* Because of the Ecclesiastical confiscations of Mendizábal, secularization of church properties in 1835–1836, several hundreds of church buildings, monasteries, etc., or civil buildings owned by the Church were partly or demolished. Many of the art works, libraries and archives contained were lost or pillaged in the time the buildings were abandoned and without owners. Among them were important buildings as Santa Caterina convent (the first gothic building in Iberian Peninsula) and Sant Francesc convent (gothic too, one of the richest in the country), both in Barcelona, or San Pedro de Arlanza Roman monastery, near Burgos, now ruined. * Several monuments demolished in Calatayud: the church of Convent of Dominicos of San Pedro Mártir (1856), Convent of Trinidad (1856), Church of Santiago (1863), Church of San Torcuato and Santa Lucía (1869) and Church of San Miguel (1871). * The leaning Leaning Tower of Zaragoza, Torre Nueva in Zaragoza was demolished in 1892 amidst fears that it would topple. *Palacio de los Lasso de Castilla, was 15th century palace in Madrid which became the palace or residence of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs. It was demolished during the mid 19th century. * Churches, monasteries, Convents burning in Spain (1936), convents and libraries were destroyed during the Spanish Civil War. * A Virxe da Barca sanctuary, located in Muxia, was destroyed by lightning.


Sweden

* Tre Kronor (castle), Tre Kronor, main residence of the List of Swedish monarchs, Swedish Kings, destroyed by fire in 1697. Several important documents of the history of Sweden were lost in the fire. * Klara (Stockholm), Klarakvarteren, a part of Stockholm from the 17th century. It was demolished in the 1960–70. * The city of Norrköping was razed in 1719 by Russians. It was reconstructed with grid pattern streets and using the surviving Johannesborg fort as a quarry.


Switzerland

* The city of Basel was devastated by the 1356 Basel earthquake. * Pfäfers Abbey was destroyed in 1665 by fire. * The city of Sion, Switzerland, Sion with Majoria and Tourbillon castles was destroyed by fire in 1788. * Disentis Abbey was destroyed by fire in 1799 with its library and archives. * The Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge) in Luzern (Lucerne) was substantially destroyed in 1993 by fire.


Ukraine

*Antonov An-225 Mriya, Kyiv: Severely damaged in 2022 during the Battle of Antonov Airport, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The aircraft's owner, defense contractor Ukroboronprom, has announced that following the invasion, they will attempt to rebuild the aircraft. *Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, Kyiv: Damaged on 1 March 2022 during the Battle of Kyiv (2022), Battle of Kyiv, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The memorial complex, which was under construction at the time, suffered structural damage to a museum building, as well as damage to the adjacent cemetery; other intrinsic elements of the site, including the memorial's synagogue and menorah sculpture, were not damaged. *Brotherhood Monastery, Kyiv: Demolished by Soviet authorities in 1935. *Church of the Tithes, Kyiv: The original 10th century church was destroyed by Mongol Empire, Mongol forces in the Siege of Kiev (1240). A new church was built on the site in the 19th century, but it too was destroyed by Soviet authorities in 1935. *Dormition Cathedral, Kharkiv, Dormition Cathedral, Kharkiv: Damaged in 2022 during the Battle of Kharkiv (2022), Battle of Kharkiv, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Artwork and stained glass in the cathedral were damaged. *Great Suburb Synagogue, Lviv: Demolished by invading Nazi forces in 1941. *Golden Rose Synagogue (Lviv), Golden Rose Synagogue, Lviv: Oldest synagogue in Ukraine, sacked in 1941 and demolished in 1942 by the Nazi occupation forces. *Ivankiv Historical and Local History Museum, Ivankiv: Destroyed on 27 February 2022 during the Battle of Ivankiv, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The museum contained folk artwork, including paintings by Maria Prymachenko and textile works of Hanna Veres. The number of artworks by Prymachenko, Veres, and other artists which were destroyed or damaged is currently unknown. *Khreshchatyk, Kyiv: The main street of Kyiv, containing many historic buildings. It was heavily mined by retreating Soviet forces in 1941, and as a result most buildings were destroyed. Some buildings were restored after the war, but most were replaced with new structures in the style of Stalinist architecture. *Kuindzhi Art Museum, Mariupol: Destroyed on 21 March 2022 during the Siege of Mariupol, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The museum was dedicated to the life and work of Ukrainian-born artist Arkhip Kuindzhi. Although the works by Kuindzhi held by the museum were reportedly removed from the building prior to its destruction, the whereabouts of the artwork are unknown. Additionally, the status of the remainder of the museum's collection, which included around 2,000 works by fellow Ukrainian artists Ivan Aivazovsky, Mykola Hlushchenko, Tetyana Yablonska, Mykhailo Derehus, and others, remains unknown. *St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, Kyiv: Demolished by Soviet authorities from 1934-1936. Some frescoes and mosaics were removed and taken to museums in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian FSR before demolition, only a portion of which were returned when the Cathedral was rebuilt in the 1990s. *St. Nicholas Military Cathedral, Kyiv: Demolished by Soviet authorities in 1934. *Slovo Building, Kharkiv: Damaged in 2022 during the Battle of Kharkiv, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.


United Kingdom

*The Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 1530s led to many monasteries, relics, and books being destroyed, such as Glastonbury Abbey. *The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed much of the old city, including Old St Paul's Cathedral, 87 parish churches, 44 Company Halls, the Royal Exchange, London, Royal Exchange, the Custom House, City of London, Custom House, and the Bridewell Palace. *The Palace of Whitehall, the main residence of the English and later List of British monarchs, British monarchs, was destroyed by fire in 1698. *Arthur's O'on, a Roman temple or triumphal monument located near the Antonine Wall in Scotland, was demolished by a local landowner in 1743. *St Mary's Church, Reculver, St Mary's Church in Reculver, an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture, was partially demolished in 1809. *The Palace of Westminster was almost destroyed by Burning of Parliament, fire on 16 October 1834, and many documents about Britain's political history were lost. Only Westminster Hall and the Jewel Tower survived. * The Temple of the Sun, a Gothic folly in Kew Gardens designed by William Chambers (architect), William Chambers in 1761, was destroyed when a nearby cedar tree fell on it in a storm in 1916. Strangely, Chambers had also planted the cedar earlier, in 1725. *The Crystal Palace in London was destroyed by fire on 30 November 1936. *Coventry Cathedral, St Michael's Church in Coventry was a 14th-century cathedral that was nearly destroyed by the German Luftwaffe during the Coventry Blitz of 14 November 1940. Only the tower, spire, the outer wall, and the bronze effigy and tomb of its first bishop, Huyshe Yeatman-Biggs, survived. The ruins of this cathedral remain Consecration, hallowed ground and are listed building, listed at Grade I. *Charles Church, Plymouth, Charles Church in Plymouth was entirely burned out by incendiary bombs dropped by the Luftwaffe on the nights of 21 and 22 March 1941. However, it has since been encircled by a roundabout and turned into "a memorial to those citizens of Plymouth who were killed in air-raids on the city in the 1939–45 war." *Coleshill House, a historic mansion in Oxfordshire (historically Berkshire) was destroyed in a fire in 1952, and many historic items within were lost. The ruins were demolished in 1958. *Several historic structures, such as the Euston Arch in London and the Royal Arch (structure), Royal Arch in Dundee, were demolished in the 1960s to make way for redeveloped infrastructure. * The Imperial Hotel, London, designed by Charles Fitzroy Doll and built from 1905 to 1911, was demolished in 1966–67. *York Minster was severely damaged by fire in 1984, believed to have been caused by a lightning strike on the south transept. *The Baltic Exchange at Baltic Exchange (building), 24-28 St Mary Axe in the City of London, was destroyed by a bomb placed there by the Provisional IRA in 1992. The site is now occupied by The Gherkin and the Baltic Exchange Memorial Glass can be seen in the National Maritime Museum. *A 1992 Windsor Castle fire, major fire in 1992 caused extensive damage to Windsor Castle, the largest inhabited castle in the world and one of the official residences of King Charles III. *The Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium was closed in October 2000 for redevelopment, and demolition commenced in December 2002, completing in 2003. The top of one of the twin towers was erected as a memorial in the park on the north side of Overton Close in the Saint Raphael's Estate. *The Carlton Tavern, Kilburn, Carlton Tavern, an historic pub in Kilburn, London and the only building on its street to survive the Blitz during World War II, was demolished by its owner and without prior permission in April 2015. The pub was subsequently rebuilt and re-opened following a community campaign and planning appeals. *Clandon Park House, a historic mansion in Surrey, was severely damaged by fire on 29 April 2015, leaving the house "essentially a shell" and destroying thousands of historic items, including one of the footballs kicked across no-man's land on the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. *The Royal Clarence Hotel in Exeter, considered England's oldest hotel, was almost destroyed by fire on 28 October 2016. *The Mackintosh Building of the Glasgow School of Art was extensively damaged by fire in May 2014 including the destruction of the artistically significant Mackintosh library but as restoration was completed and nearing reopening a far more devastating fire broke out on the night of 15 June 2018, destroying the building's interior. Alan Dunlop, the school's professor of architecture, said: "I can't see any restoration possible for the building itself. It looks destroyed." *The Beehive Mills, in Bolton, Lancashire, a Grade II Listed buildings in Bolton, Bolton listed building built in 1895, was demolished by agreement of the local authority in 2019 for the building of 121 houses.


North America


Belize

* Several Maya civilization, Maya sites such as San Estevan (Maya site), San Estevan and Nohmul have been partly demolished.


Canada

* The 1620 Province of Avalon, Colony of Avalon was destroyed in 1696 in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign, Siege of Ferryland during King William's War. * In 1696, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (St. John's), Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, was destroyed by the French under the command of Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville. The present cathedral was extensively damaged in The Great Fire of 1892. * The 1754 St. Matthew's United Church (Halifax) was destroyed by fire in 1857 and rebuilt. * In January 1839, St. James Anglican Church in Toronto was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt as St. James Cathedral by December 1839. This building was destroyed by another Great Fire of Toronto (1849), fire in 1849 and replaced by the current structure, the Cathedral Church of St. James (Toronto), Cathedral Church of St. James, in 1853. * Brock's Monument was heavily damaged after a bombing on 17 April 1840 and subsequently demolished; the monument was rebuilt in 1859. * On the night of 25 April 1849, the Canadian Parliament buildings in Montreal were Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal, set ablaze by United Empire Loyalist, Loyalist rioters. The resulting fire consumed the Parliament's two libraries, parts of the archives of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, as well as more recent public documents. Over 23,000 volumes, forming the collections of the two parliamentary libraries, were lost. * Christ Church Cathedral (Montreal) was rebuilt in 1859, replacing the previous structure destroyed in a fire in 1856. * The 1665 Fort William, Newfoundland, Fort William in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, was demolished in 1881 to make room for the Newfoundland Railway. * The 1881 St. James Anglican Church (Vancouver) was destroyed by a fire in 1886 and only rebuilt after 1935 (completed in 1937). * Knox Presbyterian Church (Toronto) was severely damaged by fire in 1895 and eventually relocated in 1909. * Crystal Palace (Montreal) was destroyed by fire in 1896. * Centre Block#Great fire, Centre Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa was destroyed by fire on 3 February 1916, and immediately rebuilt. * The Church of Nativité-de-la-Sainte-Vierge-d'Hochelaga was rebuilt in 1921 after fire destroyed the original 1877 church. * Montreal City Hall from 1872–1878 was gutted by fire in 1922 and rebuilt by 1932. * Church of the Ascension (Windsor, Ontario) was destroyed by fire in 1926 (rebuilt in 1927) and again in 1990 (repaired the same year). * Metropolitan United Church was destroyed by fire in 1928 and rebuilt in 1929 to match the original 1874 building. * Saint Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg, built in 1830, was destroyed by fire in 1860, rebuilt in 1862, relocated in 1906, and destroyed by fire again in 1968. The current cathedral was rebuilt in 1972. * Saint-Jacques Cathedral (Montreal) was destroyed by three fires in 1852, 1858, and 1933. The last rebuilt church was mostly demolished after 1973 with only the entrance preserved as Pavillon Judith-Jasmin for the Université du Québec à Montréal. * The Government House (Battleford), Old Government House, Built in 1876. From 1876-1883 Battleford was the seat of government and known as the Territorial Capital of the Northwest Territories. Battleford and the N.W.M.P. played a significant role during the 1885 North West  Rebellion. Burned down by arson in 2003 * St. Jude's Cathedral (Iqaluit) was destroyed by arson in 2005, along with Inuit art and artifacts. * The Quebec City Armoury, built 1885–1888, was mostly destroyed by a fire in 2008 and rebuilt by 2016.


Guatemala

*The Maya codices were destroyed by Spanish priest Diego de Landa. *Iglesia del Carmen, a colonial church in Antigua, Guatemala, Antigua, Guatemala, was damaged by several earthquakes. *The convent of Santa Clara in Antigua Guatemala was severely damaged during the earthquakes, today only its ruins survive. * Tikal Temple 33 was destroyed in the 1960s by archaeologists to uncover earlier phases of construction of the pyramid.


Haiti

* Much of Haiti's heritage was damaged or destroyed in the 2010 Haiti earthquake, devastating earthquake in 2010, including the National Palace (Haiti), National Palace and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Port-au-Prince, Port-au-Prince Cathedral.


Honduras

*The church of ''La Iglesia de Nuestro Señor de los Reyes'' was a Catholic church in the city of Comayagua built in 1555. It was damaged by an earthquake in 1808; finally the mayor's office ordered it demolished in 1829. *The church of the ''La limpia de la Inmaculada Concepcion'' was a Catholic church built in 1621 in Tegucigalpa. It suffered a fire in 1746, and stopped being used frequently. It was finally demolished in 1858 due to its poor condition. *The ''Caxa Real (Honduras), Caxa Real'' of Comaygua was heavily damaged due to earthquakes; it was rebuilt and re opened in 2013. *Tenampua, a ceremonial center of the Lenca culture from the classic Mesoamerican period, was heavily damaged during the Second Honduran civil war, Second Honduran Civil War in 1924. *Castillo Bogran, an abandoned 19th-century historical building in Santa Bárbara, Honduras, Santa Barbara that belonged to President Marco Bogran. The building has deteriorated extensively due to heavy rains, hurricanes, and wind. Only 30% of the structure survives today. *In April 2009 a fire occurred at the museum of the Saint Agustín College (Honduras), Saint Agustin College of Comayagua, destroying several pieces of art dating from the Spanish colonial era, including paintings made in Spain and relics that belonged to national heroes. *On 30 November 2017 a fire damaged the ''Museum del hombre'' In Teguciglapa, strongly damaging the structure of the building. Several pieces were saved but suffered extensive damage. *On 12 March 2019 there was a fire in the Museum of the Palace of Telecommunications in Tegucigalpa; 30% of the collection was destroyed and another part damaged.


United States

*Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), Pennsylvania Station was a Beaux-Arts style "architectural jewel" of New York City. Controversially, the above-ground portions of the station were demolished in 1963, making way for constructing the Madison Square Garden arena that opened in 1968. The controversy energized a historic preservation movement in New York City and the United States. *On 11 September 2001, Islamist terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda destroyed both towers of the World Trade Center (1973–2001), World Trade Center complex in New York City during the September 11 attacks, 11 September attacks. *The 2008 Universal Studios fire destroyed 40,000 to 50,000 films and video recordings and over 100,000 master audio recordings. *Since the start of the 1960s, the National Historic Landmark (NHL) program and the 1966 start of the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), numerous landmarks designated in those programs have been destroyed. In some cases, the destruction was mitigated by documentation of the artifact or reproduction. **Losses by flood and wind damage include: ***The Old Blenheim Bridge, built-in 1855 and the longest-surviving covered bridge in the United States, was destroyed by Hurricane Irene-related flooding in 2011. ***Numerous NRHP-listed coastal properties in Mississippi and Louisiana were destroyed or significantly damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. **Losses by fire, arson, or otherwise include: ***The Russian-built Fort Ross, California, Fort Ross Chapel, pre-1841, was destroyed in 1970 and subsequently reproduced. *** The National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973 destroyed about 80% of the military personnel records held at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. ***The Provo Tabernacle (NRHP) was destroyed in a fire on 17 December 2010. It was subsequently rebuilt as the Provo City Center Temple, dedicated in 2016. ***On 30 May 2020, multiple historical documents and artifacts were either damaged or destroyed when the Memorial to the Women of the Confederacy was attacked by rioters in Richmond, Virginia. **Losses by permitted processes include: ***The Edwin H. Armstrong House in Yonkers, New York, was demolished in 1983. ***Soldier Field stadium in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1924, was altered during a 2002 renovation. ***The Army Medical Museum and Library in Washington, D.C., built in 1887, was demolished in 1969. ***Leesylvania (plantation) was demolished in 1960 to make way for a road. ***NASA wind tunnels including the Eight-Foot High Speed Tunnel (1936–2011) and Full Scale 30-by 60-Foot Tunnel (1936–2010). **Ships broken up include: ***Wapama (steam schooner), ''Wapama'' (steam schooner) (1915–2013), scrapped, though documented by Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) throughout its dismantling. ***President (1924 steamboat), ''President'' (steamboat) (1924–2009), disassembled. *Other losses of covered bridges, landmarked or not, include: **Dooley Station Covered Bridge (1917–1960), arson; replaced by move of 1856-built Portland Mills Covered Bridge. **Bridgeton Covered Bridge (1868–2005), arson, replaced by a replica. **Jeffries Ford Covered Bridge (1915–2002), arson. **Welle Hess Covered Bridge No. S1 (1871–1981), collapsed, partially reproduced off-site. **Whites Bridge (1869–2013), arson. **Babb's Bridge (1864–1973), arson, replaced by a replica. **Honey Run Covered Bridge (1886–2018), destroyed during the 2018 Camp Fire (2018), Camp Fire * In 2014, a 4,500-year-old Coast Miwok Indian burial ground and village was found near Larkspur, California, Larkspur, California, and destroyed to make way for a multimillion-dollar housing development. * Grand Coulee Dam, constructed between 1933 and 1942 on the Columbia River, disturbed burial grounds and destroyed ancient villages on of the Colville Indian Reservation, home to a dozen tribes at the time. *NRHD Jobbers Canyon Historic District, in 1989, all 24 buildings were demolished for development, representing the largest National Register historic district loss to date. *Rich Bar (California), Rich Bar in Plumas County, California, was a ghost town dating back to California Gold Rush, whose history was documented by Louise Clappe in her famed "Shirley Letters". One notable building, the Kellogg House, still contained original furnishings from the 1800s, and was continuously inhabited by Eva Eyraud, the famed "Woman on Indian Hill", from 1888 (when her family purchased the house from the Kelloggs) up until 1977. Plans to refurbish the house were thwarted when it was destroyed in the Dixie Fire on 23 or 24 July 2021. * The Georgia Guidestones were heavily damaged in a bombing on 6 July 2022 and demolished completely later that same day.


South America


Argentina

*Several buildings in Buenos Aires were demolished over years, including , , , , Teatro Odeón, Odeón Theater, Teatro Coliseo, Coliseo Theater and various palaces in Avenida Alvear. *As response to the Bombing of Plaza de Mayo in 1955 several churches in Buenos Aires were burned and looted, including Santo Domingo convent, St. Ignatius Church (Buenos Aires), St. Ignatius Church, , and . *Old buildings in the city of San Juan, Argentina, San Juan were destroyed by an 1944 San Juan earthquake, earthquake in 1944, including the Cathedral and the Government House. *The 1773 over the Reconquista River was renewed in 1964 and declared a List of National Historic Monuments of Argentina, National Historic Monument of Argentina. In 1997, the Company demolished it. *On 18 October 1977, a fire burned the Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Teatro Argentino to the ground in La Plata. The building was later rebuilt, but in a different style.


Brazil

* On 8 July 1978, the Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro, Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro was destroyed by fire. * On 17 May 2010, the natural history collection of the Instituto Butantan was destroyed by fire. * On 2 September 2018, the National Museum of Brazil was National Museum of Brazil fire, destroyed by fire.


Uruguay

*In 1969, an original Flag of the Treinta y Tres from the Cisplatine War was stolen from the history museum. The national symbol was taken on 16 July 1969 by a revolutionary group called OPR-33. The historical flag was last seen in 1975 in Buenos Aires but has been considered missing since the day of its theft. This is still a matter of political debate.


Oceania


Australia

*The Garden Palace in Sydney, Australia, Sydney was destroyed by fire on 22 September 1882. *The original Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney was demolished in June 1933 to make way for a Woolworths Limited, Woolworths retail store. *The Jubilee Exhibition Building in Adelaide was demolished in 1962. It hosted the Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition, Adelaide Jubilee International Exhibition of 1887. *The Bellevue Hotel, Brisbane, Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane was demolished on 20 April 1979 by the Bjelke-Petersen Queensland State government amid mass protest. *The Cloudland, Cloudland Dance Hall in Brisbane was demolished in 1982 to make way for an apartment complex. *The Regent Theatre (Sydney), Regent Theatre in Sydney was demolished in 1988. *Tasmanian Aboriginal cave paintings, believed to be 800–8,000 years old, were vandalised in 2016. *Juukan Gorge cave, a site of Australian Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal cultural significance in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Estimated age of human artefacts: 46,000 years. Destroyed by Rio Tinto (corporation), Rio Tinto mining interests, 15 May 2020, despite objections of the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples, whose ancestors' DNA cave paintings and over 7000 artefacts were discovered in the caves. * Burrup Gorge, a site of Australian Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal cultural significance in the Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, the world's biggest rock art gallery.


New Zealand

* The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Christchurch, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch was demolished in 2021 by order of Bishop Paul Martin following damage in the 2010 and 2011 2011 Christchurch earthquake, Canterbury Earthquakes. The cathedral was listed as a category 1 heritage building. Previous Bishop Barry Jones had approved
plan to restore the building
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but these plans were thrown out following his death in 2016. After extensive destruction of significant heritage buildings in the quakes and the loss of many community hubs within Christchurch the decision to demolish not only the Cathedral but also many other catholic churches (damaged and undamaged) was regarded by many in the city as an act of cultural vandalism. The Christchurch Cathedral was severely damaged in the 2010 and 2011 Christchurch earthquakes. Demolition was planned and partially done before being stopped entirely in 2012 after government concerns in 2017 it was announced the church woad be reinstated.


See also

* Art destruction * Book burning and list of book-burning incidents * List of destroyed libraries * List of World Heritage in Danger * Lost work, lost artworks and list of lost films * Slighting * Virtual heritage * World Monuments Fund


Notes


References


Sources

* Juan Antonio Gaya Nuño, Gaya Nuño, Juan Antonio. ''La arquitectura española en sus monumentos desaparecidos''. Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 1961. * * * *


Further reading

* * * * * Arun Shourie, Shourie, Arun, S.R. Goel, Harsh Narain, J. Dubashi and Ram Swarup. Hindu Temples - What Happened to Them Vol. I, (A Preliminary Survey) (1990)


External links

* (dedicated to the study, research, and documentation of the destruction and damage of historic heritage during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s. The website contains judicial documents from the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)). * http://www.cracked.com/article_20149_6-mind-blowing-archeological-discoveries-destroyed-by-idiocy_p2.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Destroyed Heritage, List Of Lists of demolished buildings and structures, * Architecture lists Cultural heritage Cultural lists