History for sale

The illegal trade in Middle East is a major source of funding for Islamic State (IS), and pressure is mounting for a tougher global response.Earlier this year the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution calling on countries to prohibit the trade in illegally removed cultural materials from Syria and Iraq. And US lawmakers are looking at new measures to halt illegal imports to the US and stifle the flow of cash to IS. But experts say the only way to prevent looting is to stigmatise the international market for antiquities.

  Satellite images show that many historic sites in Syria are being ransacked almost daily.
 In the area surrounding the ancient ruins of Apamea, near Hama, looters dug more than 15,000 pits in one year. continue