Khaled al-Asaad devoted more than 50 years of his life to Palmyra, which is located at an oasis in the Syrian Desert north-east of Damascus.
The highly-regarded archaeologist retired as the site's head of antiquities in 2003, but he continued to carry out research there until it fell to IS.
But Asaad insisted that he would not leave his home. "I am from Palmyra," he said, "and I will stay here even if they kill me."
Asaad was later detained by IS and interrogated about the locations of other artefacts that had been hidden. He was beheaded in a square in Tadmor that August after refusing to co-operate.
I know it to be pertinent to remember those who build temples. And still, forever are exalted those who keep them.