BAGHDAD — The capture of the shrine of the prophet Yunus in Mosul on Jan. 19 from the Islamic State (IS), whose fighters rigged the shrine and blew it up July 24, 2014, revealed the extent of the destruction inflicted by the militants, and on Feb. 28 archaeologists uncovered a palace beneath it, intact since 600 B.C. The palace highlights the significant historical value of the site, dating back to the Assyrian Empire, which began emerging hundreds of centuries before the Christian era.

Sheikh Abdullatif Hemayem, head of the Sunni waqf (endowment), visited Mosul March 18 and announced that the waqf is planning to rebuild the shrine's mosque, raising concerns that the newly discovered palace will again disappear, perhaps forever.

Faleh al-Shammari, director of antiquities in Ninevah, told Al-Monitor, “Antiquities authorities had been aware of the palace’s existence under the tomb of Yunus, but [lacking knowledge of the specific location] had never carried out excavations. IS also knew about it, so they dug tunnels into the tomb site … on a large scale, revealing more features and unearthing more artifacts. However, these excavations were neither methodical nor scientific. The sole purpose was to rob and destroy the site.”

Zuhair al-Jabali, head of Mosul's supporting (“isnad”) local council, revealed in July 2014 that the Islamist group had stolen treasure dating to the Sargonic period (1920-1881 B.C.) buried under Yunus' shrine.