Because ancient artifacts are “un-Islamic.”

RABAT (AFP) — Stone carvings in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains dating back more than 8,000 years and depicting the sun as a pagan divinity have been destroyed by Salafists, a local rights group said on Wednesday.

“These stone carvings of the sun are more than 8,000 years old. They were destroyed several days ago,” Aboubakr Anghir, a member of the Amazigh (Berber) League for Human Rights, told AFP.

“One of the carvings, called ‘the plaque of the sun,’ predates the arrival of the Phoenicians in Morocco,” Anghir said.

“It lies in a well-known archaeological site in the Yakour plain south of Marrakesh, 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Mount Toubkal.”

“There are several Salafist groups active in the region and it’s not the first time these pre-Islamic sites have been attacked. We have sent a message to the ministry of culture, but have not yet received a reply,” he added.