(CNN) A 1,400 year-old Christian monastery -- the oldest in Iraq - was "razed to the ground" just months after ISIS took over the Iraqi city of Mosul, satellite pictures show.
The Saint Elijah monastery -- also known as Dair Mar Elia -- was located on the outskirts of Mosul. Despite its age, it's unlikely the monastery collapsed naturally, according to experts at AllSource Analysis, an imagery intelligence company which studied the photos.
Several factors suggest the demolition was deliberate, the experts said.
First, when comparing before and after images of the site in 2014, there's evidence that indicates the structure was "pulverized" and reduced to "pretty well dust," AllSource said.
Precious monuments lost in Middle East
Once the largest mosques in the world, built in the 9th century on the Tigris River north of Baghdad. The mosque is famous for the Malwiya Tower, a 52-meter minaret with spiraling ramps for worshipers to climb.
The site was bombed in 2005, in an insurgent attack on a NATO position, destroying the top of the minaret and surrounding walls.
Video: ISIS targets historical artifacts
An "oasis in the Syrian desert"
according to UNESCO, this Aramaic city has stood since the second millennium BC and featured some of the most advanced architecture of the period. The site subsequently evolved through Greco-Roman and Persian periods, providing unique historic insight into those cultures. ISIS now controls the ancient city and has
destroyed shrines, temples and monuments.
The most spectacular legacy of Buddhism in the war-torn country, among the tallest standing Buddhas in the world -- the larger at 53 meters, the other 35 -- had survived over 1,500 years since being carved out of sandstone. The Taliban considered the monuments idolatrous and
destroyed them with dynamite.
Yemen's capital city of Sanaa has seen several
suicide bombings for which ISIS claimed responsibility, and air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition -- although it is unclear who is responsible to the latest damage. These have affected both the old fortified city -- inscribed on UNESCO's
World Heritage List since 1986 -- and the archaeological site of the pre-Islamic walled city of Baraqish, causing "severe damage,"
according to UNESCO itself.
Continually inhabited for 2,500 years, and became the capital of the Romans' Arabian empire. The centerpiece is a magnificent Roman theater dating back to the second century that survived intact until the current conflict. Archaeologists have revealed the site is now severely
damaged from mortar shelling.
A world heritage site originally built in 715 by the Umayyad dynasty, ranking it among the oldest mosques in the world. The epic structure evolved through successive eras, gaining its famous minaret in the late 11th century. This was reduced to rubble in the Syrian civil war in 2013, along with serious damage to the walls and courtyard, which historians have described as the worst ever damage to Syrian heritage.
These 20-meter wide water wheels were first documented in the 5th century, representing an ingenious early irrigation system. Seventeen of the wooden norias (a machine for lifting water into an aqueduct) survived to present day and became Hama's primary tourist attraction, noted for their groaning sounds as they turned. Heritage experts
documented several wheels being burned by fighters in 2014.
The fortress spans at least four millennia, from the days of Alexander the Great, through Roman, Mongol, and Ottoman rule. The site has barely changed since the 16th century and is one of Syria's most popular World Heritage sites. The citadel has been used as an army base in recent fighting and several of its historic buildings
have been destroyed.
The covered markets in the Old City are a famous trade center for the region's finest produce, with dedicated sub-souks for fabrics, food, or accessories. The tunnels became the scene of fierce fighting and many of the oldest are
now damaged beyond recognition, which Unesco has
described as a tragedy.
This French-built suspension bridge was a popular pedestrian crossing and vantage point for its views of the Euphrates River. It became a key supply line in a battle for the city, and
collapsed under shelling. Deir Ez-zor's Siyasiyeh Bridge was also destroyed.
The
ancient Assyrian city around Nineveh Province, Iraq was home to countless treasures of the empire, including statues, monuments and jewels. Following the 2003 invasion the site
has been devastated by looting, with many of the stolen pieces finding homes in museums abroad.
The Crusader castle from the 11th century survived centuries of battles and natural disasters, becoming a World Heritage site in 2006 along with the adjacent castle of Qal'at Salah El-Din. The walls were severely damaged by
regime airstrikes and artillery in 2013, and rebels took positions within it.
The purported resting place of biblical prophet Jonah, along with a tooth believed to be from the whale that consumed him. The site dated to the 8th century BC, and was of great importance to Christian and Muslim faiths. It was
entirely blown up by ISIS militants in 2014 as part of their campaign against perceived apostasy.
Among Syria's most famous Ottoman-style mosques, which also shows
Mamluk influence through its light and dark contrasts. The vast site became a hub of the battle for Homs, itself a front-line of the conflict. The sacred mausoleum has
been completely destroyed, and much of the interiors burned.
A key city for the Greeks and Romans, established in 630 BC. Famed as the basis for enduring myths and legends, such as that of the huntress heroine of the same name and bride of Apollo. The ruins were some of the best preserved from that period, but in the wake of Libya's revolution,
vast tracts have been bulldozed including its unique necropolis complex.
Home to one of the world's most impressive collections, with over 100,000 pieces that cover the entirety of Islamic history. The Cairo site was first built in 1881, the museum recently underwent an eight-year multi-million dollar renovation. Shortly after re-opening, a car bomb targeting a nearby police building
caused catastrophic damage and forced the museum to close again.
This 121-year-old wooden building, humble but elegant, was home to the nation's first governor general Muhammed Ali Jinnah for the last phase of his life. The residency
was attacked with rocket fire by a separatist group in 2013, and almost completely demolished. A new structure is being built on the site.
A 15-year civil war of incredible brutality, successive battles with Israel, and sweeping urban development has robbed the 'Paris of the Middle East' of much of its visual lustre. Once known for its landscape of swaggering Ottoman, French and Art Deco architecture, officials say just 400 of 1200 protected historic buildings remain.
Before-and-after photographs of the destruction. The US and ISIS trade blame for
its loss.
Second, satellite imagery shows parallel white lines thought to be vehicle tracks indicative of a bulldozer having come into the area.
Third, the timing could point to ISIS as the culprit, AllSource said.
Mosul fell to ISIS in June, 2014. Analysis of the imagery pinpoints the destruction of the monastery as happening in either late August or September of 2014 -- just a few short months later.
Iraqi veteran who fled Mosul: ISIS will never, ever leave my city
Not the first time
While ISIS has not publicly announced destroying the monastery, it wouldn't be the first time the terror group has targeted historic sites.
In August, the Islamic extremist group blew up a nearly 2,000-year-old temple in the historic ruins of Palmyra in neighboring Syria.
Historic sites damaged by ISIS
ISIS seized control of
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back 2,000 years, in May, prompting fears for the site's survival. The Syrian government confirmed ISIS fighters have
destroyed two Muslim shrines in the ancient oasis city. It's the latest act of cultural vandalism by the Sunni extremists.
ISIS released a propaganda video showing its fighters destroying Iraq's ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in March. The destruction follows other attacks on antiquity carried out by the militant group in Iraq and Syria. The United Nations has described such deliberate cultural destruction as a "war crime."
The Iraqi Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in March that ISIS had bulldozed the ruins of Nimrud, seen here in 2009.
Bas-relief panels from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II are seen in Nimrud in 2009.
This file photo from 2003 shows the ancient ruins of Hatra in Iraq. It is another one of the cultural sites that have reportedly been damaged by ISIS.
Bas-reliefs of masks in Hatra
A statue of the goddess Shamiya, or Shahiro, at Hatra in 2009
In this image made from video posted on a social media account affiliated with ISIS, a militant uses a power tool to destroy a winged-bull Assyrian protective deity at the Nineveh Museum in Mosul, Iraq.
"It's tragic to see this destruction," said William Webber, from the UK-based Art Loss Register. "Each time you see this you think it can't happen again, but it does." The Mosul museum held 173 original pieces of antiquity and was being readied for reopening when ISIS invaded Mosul in June.
An exterior shot of Nineveh in May 2008
Two Parthian Kings of Hatra, seen in the Mosul museum in 2008
In July, a video was released showing the destruction of Jonah's Tomb in Mosul. The tomb was inside a Sunni mosque, seen here in 2008, called the Mosque of the Prophet Yunes (Arabic for Jonah).
ISIS considers all religious shrines -- Islamic, Christian, Jewish, etc. -- idolatrous.
"[ISIS] doesn't care if you're Christian, Muslim or Turkoman or anything, because this is a brutal group that is going after anybody who does not line up specifically with them," said Col. Steve Warren, spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S. military operation against ISIS.
Duraid Hikmat Tobia, who used to be the minority affairs advisor to Mosul governor, told CNN that he has not heard from relatives or friends in the area about the fate of the monastery.
Tracking ISIS's trail of historical obliteration
'This will never be replaced'
The Rev. Paul Thabit Habib, who once led the Chaldean Catholic Church in Mosul, said he was heartbroken at the religious and historical loss after looking at the satellite pictures.
Habib now oversees a congregation of thousands of internally displaced Chaldean Christians who fled Mosul and relocated to Erbil and the surrounding areas. "We see these historical sites destroyed on daily basis," he said.
"This is a big loss. This will never be replaced... it goes back to the 6th century. We are talking about history of civilization being wiped out."
Opinion: Why ISIS destroys antiquities
CNN's Kareem Khadder and Hamdi Alkhshali also contributed to this report.