Nimrud, which was shown being blown up in a jihadist video Saturday, was once the jewel of Assyria, home to a treasure considered one of the biggest archaeological finds of the 20th century. The Islamic State group released a video in which militants equipped with sledgehammers and power tools break artefacts before rigging the site with large barrels of powder. The subsequent footage shows a massive explosion and its aftermath, suggesting the ruins of Nimrud– which lie on the Tigris about 30 kilometres (18 miles) southeast of Mosul — were largely levelled. Nimrud, founded in the 13th century BC, is one of the most famous archaeological sites in a country often described as the cradle of civilisation. ‘Nimrud was the capital of Assyria, during the new Assyrian era,’ said Abdulamir Hamdani, an archaeologist from Stony Brook University in New York. The city, which is

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