The minaret of one of Syria's most famous mosques has been destroyed during clashes in the northern city of Aleppo, BBC News reported.

The state news agency Sana accused rebels of blowing up the 11th Century minaret of the Umayyad Mosque. However, activists say the minaret was hit by Syrian army tank fire.

The mosque, which is a Unesco world heritage site, has been in rebel hands since earlier this year but the area around it is still contested.

Last October Unesco appealed for the protection of the site, which it described as "one of the most beautiful mosques in the Muslim world".

Images posted on the internet showed the minaret reduced to a pile of rubble in the mosque's tiled courtyard.