A Getty photographer captured pictures of the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, some of the first images to emerge from the city since ISIS militants were driven out in March. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Palmyra was home to a number of ancient temples and monuments, most of which were destroyed when ISIS occupied the city from May 2015 to March 2016. This latest photo series shows the city's ancient architectural treasures before and after ISIS's destructive rule.
A photographer stands in front of the ruins of Palmyra’s Arc du Triomphe (Triumph's Arch) on March 31, 2016, holding his photograph of the monument from two years earlier. Islamic State jihadists destroyed the Arc du Triomphe in October 2015, along with other historic sites in Palmyra.
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A photographer holds his 2014 picture of the Temple of Bel in front of the monument's ruins.
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Another view of the ancient Temple of Bel, before and after destruction. The building had stood since 32 AD until it was destroyed in 2015.
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A third view of the the Temple of Bel. The building's ruins were recaputured from the Islamic State on March 27, 2016, when Russian-backed Syrian forces launched a fierce offensive to rescue the city from jihadists who view the UNESCO-listed site's magnificent ruins as idolatrous.
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Another March 2016 view of the Arc du Triomphe. The building had stood in Palymyra since the third century AD.
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