Although we’re not yet at War of the Worlds level destruction, humankind’s heritage is at major risk due to civil wars, climate change, and ISIS, among others. Already, many major sites of cultural heritage have rapidly disappeared worldwide, and the anticipation is that more sites could be lost in the coming years.

In April 2015, a devastating earthquake hit Nepal, the reverberations of which are still being felt on the local peoples and economy. During the earthquake, centuries-old at UNESCO World Heritage sites were destroyed in the Kathmandu Valley, including some at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the Patan Durbar Square, the Bhaktapur Durbar Square, the Changu Narayan Temple, the Boudhanath stupa and the Swayambhunath Stupa.

(MORE: )There are other sites that are at severe risk because of climate change and severe weather as well-- like the Belize Barrier Reef, which is already a bleached shadow of its former self.The Syrian civil war too is another culprit of the loss of human historical culture. Specifically, ISIS has been carrying out acts of over the course of the last five years. Places like the ancient cities of Palmyra, an ancient Roman trading outpost in around the year 200 C.E., and Nineveh, one the capitals of the ancient Assyrian Empire, were completely leveled.
The Islamic State militants’ destruction of the region’s archaeology and culture with sledgehammers and explosives is, they claim, religiously motivated. The group’s fighters have attacked, looted, and destroyed, ancient sites and modern shrined belonging to other Muslim sects, claiming they are perversions of Islam or flat out idol worship.
Through no fault of UNESCO and its oversight team, these world sites are either completely gone or have been severely damaged. See our list of before and after photos of UNESCO world heritage sites that have been destroyed or seriously damaged, that you just can’t see anymore in their former glory.MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: U.S. Destinations That Will Soon Disappear