Ancient Nimrud ziggurat bulldozed by Isil

One of the tallest surviving structures from the ancient world has been totally destroyed by Isil extremists at Nimrud, the former capital of Assyria, which was captured by Iraqi government forces on 13 November. The ziggurat, which was nearly 2,900 years old, was obliterated. Only the largest Egyptian pyramids are higher than Middle Eastern ziggurats and central American step pyramids.
 
The Nimrud ziggurat was apparently bulldozed and pushed into the ancient bed of the Tigris river, says