![The port city of Mokha in Yemen's Taez province has seen a recent attack by al-Qaeda elements on a historical shrine that dates back 600 years. [Photo courtesy of Gomtu]](/cnmi_am/images/2017/08/28/9381-yemen-mokha-700_496.webp)
Yemeni officials and scholars have condemned al-Qaeda’s demolition last week of a historic site in the port city of Mokha in Taez province.
Al-Qaeda elements on Thursday (August 24th) blew up and bulldozed the 600 year old Imam Abu Ibrahim al-Barsani Shrine in al-Gharafi village under the pretext of destroying "idolatries", local media reported.
The General Authority for Antiquities and Museums condemned the attack.
The authority "condemns these acts of sabotage against our heritage and history", authority head Muhannad al-Sayani told Al-Mashareq.
"Why do al-Qaeda and 'Islamic State of Iraq and Syria' (ISIS) elements destroy the shrines of our scholars? What benefit do these terrorist groups reap from such acts?" he asked.
Al-Sayani urged local authorities to protect the remaining shrines and archeological sites that fall under their jurisdiction.
"These places are owned by all the people and are not restricted to a certain sect or group of people," he said. "They belong to Yemen and are part of our human heritage."
Yemen Scholars Association member Sheikh Yahya al-Najjar told al-Mashareq that blowing up Imam Abu Ibrahim al-Barsani Shrine is "an assault on the sanctity of Muslims".
"Terrorist groups kill Muslims who are alive with car bombs and explosive vests, and target their dead scholars in their shrines," he said.
Imam al-Barsani Shrine is one of the most important historical shrines in al-Mokha.
