UNESCO has said the historic city of Palymra in Syria must be protected.<br /><br /> The call comes after intense fighting between forces loyal to President Assad and ISIL militants already caused some damage.<br /><br /> The militants reportedly withdrew from the site on Sunday after seizing it a day earlier.<br /><br /> Irina Bolkova is from the United Nations organisation which protects world heritage sites.<br /><br /> She said: “Palmyra is an unbelievable monument in the middle of the desert. It is a place where we see different cultures. From Rome, Byzantine and Persia, Greece and Islam … We can not permit that Palmyra will be destroyed.”<br /><br /> Palmyra was founded in around 2000 BC as a caravan stop for travelers crossing the Syrian desert.<br /><br /> By the third century AD it was a prosperous metropolis and is mentioned in many ancient texts including the Hebrew Bible.<br /><br /> ISIL has already deliberately destroyed many ancient relics in Iraq in a bid to crush what it called non-Islamic ideas.<br /><br /> The city is strategically important bec
