A contractor for the restoration of a war-damaged settlement in northern Syria found during excavations the remains of underground tombs from the Byzantine period, which are believed to be around 1,500 years old.
The cemetery was found about a month ago in the city of Marat al-Numan in Idlib province in the northwest of the country, between Damascus and Aleppo, which served as a contact point during the Syrian civil war, which ended with the ouster of then-president Bashar al-Assad.
Assad’s army took over Idlib from the opposition in 2020, and the houses in that area were looted and demolished, while many that still exist there have missing roofs.
Locals are now returning to Idlib to rebuild their destroyed properties, and during the reconstruction, several people have discovered stone openings containing ancient tombs.
They informed the antiquities administration, which sent a specialized team to inspect and secure the site.
The newly discovered Byzantine tombs are located in a pit between two residential buildings damaged in the war, and a cross is carved on top of one of the stone pillars.
“Based on the engraved cross, as well as the pottery and pieces of glass found nearby, we concluded that the tomb is from the Byzantine period,” said Hasan al-Ismail, director of the Idlib Antiquities Administration.
He added that the new discovery adds to the already rich collection of archaeological sites in the area, and that Idlib is home to a third of Syria’s antiquities, found in around 800 archaeological sites, along with the ancient city.
The ruins of abandoned settlements from the Byzantine era, colloquially called “Dead Cities”, contain the remains of stone houses, basilicas, tombs and colonnaded streets, and archaeological sites throughout Syria were significantly damaged during the war, apart from bombing, and looting and unauthorized digging.