Palmyra was one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world, according to UNESCO, which has described it as the crossroads of several civilisations.

Islamic State militants dynamited several monuments last year, including the temples of Baal Shamin and Bel, as well as funeral towers and a triumphal arch, which had stood for 1,800 years.

Syria's head of antiquities, Mamoun Abdelkarim, told that Palmyra's ancient temples and archway would be restored once the city had been recaptured from Islamic State militants.