As reported by many news outlets last week, the militants have blown up a revered Muslim shrine traditionally said to be the burial place of the prophet Jonah in Mosul. The residents said that the militants first ordered everyone out of the Mosque of the Prophet Younis, or Jonah, then blew it up.

The mosque which was renovated in the 1990s under Iraq‘s late dictator Saddam Hussein was built on an archaeological site dating back to the eighth century BC and is said to be the burial place of the prophet, who in stories from both the Bible and Qur’an is swallowed by a whale.

The mosque had remained a popular destination for religious pilgrims from around the world just until before the militants took over the city. It has also been reported that several nearby houses were also damaged by the blast.

The militants have been destroying many sites in Iraq in any area that they have taken over, and have also seized a large area expanding across the Iraq-Syria border.