Lebanese-French archeologist Joanne Farchakh has a unique answer to the reason why ISIS is on a quest to desecrate and destroy the world’s cultural heritage. The reason why Syria and Iraq’s histories are being desecrated has less to to with blood-curdling vengeance and more to do with blind greed, according to the archeologist who specializes in studying the archeological impacts of war.

ISIS sells the statues, stone facades of buildings and frescoes to international dealers before blowing up the temples and buildings to conceal the evidence of the looting. Farchakh claims that antiquities from Palmyra are already on sale in London!

Further value is added to the precious artefacts by the very fact that their place of origin no longer exists. The antiquities are rushed through Turkey and are sold off before the temples housing them are destroyed.

“It has something priceless to sell and then afterwards it destroys the site and the destruction is meant to hide the level of theft. It destroys the evidence. So no one knows what was taken beforehand – nor what was destroyed,” she says, pointing out that in this way, nobody knows the exact money value of the group.

Farchakh says that the destruction of the sites is cleverly scheduled to be slow and grueling so that the money value of the artefacts can shoot up on the international antiquities money. Publicity is given to the sites as hostages are taken there and publically executed before more media images leak out.

In the beginning…

Then this…

Just a brief glimpse of destruction to give more publicity to the site…

Shooting up stolen antiquities prices some more…

Letting human rights groups and  the media do the rest…