Mans destructive nature

I don't think there are ever many women around! - well Henry destroyed the great cathedrals and monasteries of England so why not Muslims destroying their sacred sites too?





And for Muslims, destiny and eternity are subjects of the Koran, which was first revealed to the Prophet on the 27th day of Ramadan, the “Laylat al-Qadr”, the Night of Power. It is the holiest night in the Muslim calendar. And it was on this night – this year – that the 12th century leaning minaret of Mosul was blasted to the ground.

robert fisk anyone?

And it was on this night – this year – that the 12th century leaning minaret of Mosul was blasted to the ground.

I think it is just simple carelessness. A carelessly dropped cigarette, or an over hot woman in a sari, or even an over enthusiastic oil prospector.

Well, it was around 800 years old. Probably about time they had a new one. It is a bit of history gone but it's maybe where they go from here that matters more than being reminded where where they came from.

What does it matter if a few old buildings get knocked down anyhow ?

malcolm wrote:

What does it matter if a few old buildings get knocked down anyhow ?

You mean like Guido Fawkes tried to do?

Where would us old 'uns go for a day out and a light snack if all the National Trust and English Heritage properties were razed to the ground.

Also, when on holiday abroad, is it not nice to visit the treasures in other countries to get a feel for their history.

The older you get, the more you appreciate it.

sure the future does become history but have you seen what they are building these days apart from a few exceptions - hardly anything to inspire the beauty of the mind! take all the tower blocks in London - monstrous - and built of rubbishy cheap material I hear? Yes lets scrap the past and live only for the future - nerds!!

Even if they hadn't blown up their heritage, I don't think many will be holidaying in that region for a good few years will they?

Tower blocks? Lets face it. Countries aren't the places they were. Many countries have to build for the masses these days. The population is not like it was few hundred or a thousand years ago when people built their dwellings around castles or grand houses. It takes ages to build those kind of places and when built, they don't hold very many people.

I know we have nice places to visit in the countries that have hundreds/thousands of years of history. However, many of the constructions will have been built on the back of slavery and/or the desperately poor. We have to be grateful for the misery and poverty they suffered so we could have a nice day out. I suppose they are monuments to those people as much as to the rich owners that drove them and perhaps ought to be preserved if possible.

However, if they get destroyed in places we have no control over, we can disapprove because we don't have that nice place to visit anymore but even the blown up buildings become part of the heritage in the end ..just as is the case in England. Everyone shakes their heads but still visit the ruins.

Birmingham was a lovely old city. Inside many of the city centre properties there was a need for an upgrade to make amenities more user friendly. Instead of this however,the council preferred to pull virtually everything down,and replace the lovely old buildings with glass and concrete monstrosities .

maybe as we get older and the youngsters take over the building of our 'new' cities our own interpretation of what we consider to be 'beautiful' is different from theirs. I watch architectural programs on a grand design and what was consider attractive and functional back in the 20's and onward is no longer? It is hard to consider anyone building another St Paul Cathedral for example. However I do know many youngsters who still appreciate a good Roman Coliseum or two so it's sometimes risky to generalize too?

This is Birmingham centre. It illustrates the point that andsome made. The rounded shaped building in the foreground is a Selfridges Store - clad with shiny metal and pock marked with decorative discs. Ugh

and that is a thing of beauty??  ah but is it fireproof?

davo wrote:

maybe as we get older and the youngsters take over the building of our 'new' cities our own interpretation of what we consider to be 'beautiful' is different from theirs.

I think that could be the case Davo. In a few hundred or a thousand years, maybe very few of the current buildings will have survived and perhaps even the ones that we call historical will have gone by then. The values of those future generations will likely be very different to ours and the falling down or demolition of old buildings could be of no consequence at all to them. All this is providing that the human race lasts that long.