The Lion of al-Lāt (Arabic اللات) was an ancient statue of a lion holding a crouching gazelle which adorned the temple of pre-Islamic goddess al-Lāt in Palmyra, Syria. The statue was made from limestone ashlars in the early 1st century AD and measured 3.5 m (11 ft) in height, weighing 15 tonnes. The lion was regarded as the consort of Al-lāt. The gazelle symbolized Al-lāt's tender and loving traits, as bloodshed was not permitted under penalty of Al-lāt's retaliation. The lion's left paw had a partially damaged Palmyrene inscription which read: tbrk ʾ[lt] (Al-lāt will bless) mn dy lʾyšd (whoever will not shed) dm ʿl ḥgbʾ (blood in the sanctuary). On 27 June 2015 the statue was demolished by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant after it had captured Palmyra.