The  countless monuments, art, artifacts and history of civilizations lost to conflict are each a tragedy in their own right. It is a cruel irony that the Middle East, a region so blessed with the treasures of early human civilizations, is also among those most troubled by conflict. As the violence threatens to annihilate some of history’s greatest monuments, we will never be able to count the full cost of our irreplaceable losses.

See some of the great monuments lost to conflict at CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/05/world/gallery/precious-monuments-lost-in-middle-east-conflicts/