BEIJING, April 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The minaret of Syria’s famous 12th-Century Umayyad Mosque in the northern city of Aleppo has been destroyed after rebels clashed with government troops.

Both sides have blamed each other for the damage. Syria’s state news agency SANA, says rebels from the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra group, blew up the minaret. But opposition activists say it was destroyed by a shell fired from a Syrian army tank.

The Umayyad Mosque lies in the heart of Aleppo’s walled Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It fell into rebel hands earlier this year after heavy fighting. But the area around it remains contested.

Syria’s civil war poses a serious threat to the country’s rich cultural heritage. According to UNESCO, five of Syria’s six World Heritage sites have been damaged in the fighting.

(Source: cntv.com)