via Archinect

One of the tallest surviving structures from the ancient world has been totally destroyed by Isil extremists at Nimrud, the former capital of Assyria, which was captured by Iraqi government forces on 13 November. The ziggurat, which was nearly 2,900 years old, was obliterated. Only the largest Egyptian pyramids are higher than Middle Eastern ziggurats and central American step pyramids.
 
“The Nimrud ziggurat was apparently bulldozed and pushed into the ancient bed of the Tigris river,” says John Curtis, the president of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq. He received the news in early September from Iraqi sources, but was asked to keep it confidential. In the past few days, satellite photographs have confirmed the destruction.1

  • 1. http://theartnewspaper.com/news/news/ancient-nimrud-ziggurat-bulldozed-by-isil-/
This DigitalGlobe satellite photo from November 4, 2016 shows the extend of destruction with heavy machinery tracks in Nimrud's Temple of Ishtar and the area where the Ziggurat ruin once stood.
This DigitalGlobe satellite photo from November 4, 2016 shows the extend of destruction with heavy machinery tracks in Nimrud's Temple of Ishtar and the area where the Ziggurat ruin once stood. © ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives
An older satellite photo from August 31, 2016 shows the Ziggurat and Temple of Ishtar still intact.
An older satellite photo from August 31, 2016 shows the Ziggurat and Temple of Ishtar still intact. © ASOR Cultural Heritage Initiatives
The Ziggurat in Nimrud, south of Mosul, before it was destroyed
The Ziggurat in Nimrud, south of Mosul, before it was destroyed - The ziggurat was a conical-shaped manmade hill built by the king of Assyria, Ashurnasirpal II (883-859BC), as a base for a temple, which was destroyed long ago. In modern times it rose nearly 50m high, although it was originally even taller, perhaps even twice that height. It was faced with baked mud bricks, some of which were inscribed, while the interior was of unbaked brick. Although Isil has attacked representational sculptures in the past few years, it is unclear why the ziggurat, which probably had no archaeological material in its core, was targeted. © John Curtis