The minaret of Aleppo’s 11th century Great Mosque, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been destroyed by fighting between government troops and the Free Syrian Army. Both sides of the civil war claim that the other is responsible. Other parts of the mosque have been badly damaged, and artifacts such as a box said to contain a strand of the Prophet Muhammad’s hair have been looted according to some reports. The armies have been fighting for control of a military airbase located near the mosque.
