in the middle east. now the u.n. is pleading with the world to find a way to save this symbol of our shared past. >> i don't know what is happening in palmyra, i am worried. alarmed by what is happening. let's hope this wonderful monument will not be destroyed like we have seen unfortunately in some of the other in some of the bulldozing and bombing of these sites. >> reporter: across iraq and syria, palmyra and seven other ancient sites and cities are on the u.n.'s cultural agency unesco danger, old town, the list goes on. this in a year where nepal alone, 200 heritage sites were damaged during the recent earthquake. nature, of course, can't be stopped. whether isis who is just outside palmyra can, remains to be seen.