Palmyra's ancient Arch of Triumph, destroyed by ISIS, recreated

A meticulous recreation of the1,800-year-old Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, Syria, destroyed byIslamic State militants last year, has been erected in TrafalgarSquare in what London Mayor Boris Johnson called an act ofdefiance.

The 5.5-metre (20ft) model, two-thirds the size of theoriginal, was made using 3D digital scanning technology and
Italian marble.

It was created by the Institute for Digital Archaeology(IDA), a joint venture between Harvard University, the
University of Oxford and Dubai's Museum of the Future.

"Palmyra was the perfect example in its day of east/westcooperation and the arch symbolises that as much today as it didback then," said IDA director Roger Michel on Tuesday.

"No one should have the power to delete such monuments fromour historical record."

Unveiling the monument, Mayor Johnson said: "this is an archof triumph and in many ways a triumph of technology anddetermination.

"We're here in a spirit of defiance, defiance of thebarbarians who destroyed the original ... as they have destroyedso many other relics in Syria and the Middle East."

The United Nations cultural organization UNESCO callsPalmyra one of the most important cultural centres of the
ancient world.

"From the 1st to the 2nd century, the art and architectureof Palmyra, standing at the crossroads of several civilizations,married Greco-Roman techniques with local traditions and Persianinfluences," it adds on its website.

The replica arch will stand in London for three days beforegoing to Dubai, New York and ultimately back to Palmyraitself,which was recaptured at the end of March after having been underthe control of IS for some 10 months.

• 1st images of Palmyra emerge after ancient city recaptured from ISIS