Ma'loula or Maaloula is a village in Syria with historical and archeological significance...

[jakeXT]

1. Remember Babylon?

Babylon's Ancient Wonder, Lying in Ruins


...


But they did turn it into Camp Alpha, a military base, shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Their 18-month stay there caused "major damage" and represented a "grave encroachment on this internationally known archeological site," a report released this month in Paris by the United Nations' cultural agency, UNESCO, says.


...



According to the report, which comes after five years of investigation by a team of Iraqi and international experts, foreign troops and contractors bulldozed hilltops and then covered them with gravel to serve as parking lots for military vehicles and trailers. They drove heavy vehicles over the fragile paving of once-sacred pathways.


http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-07-29/news/36807133_1_ishtar-gate-babylon-museum-babylon-s-ancient