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A contractor recently stumbled across an ancient Christian tomb complex while clearing rubble in Syria.
The discovery was made in the city of Maarat al-Numan in Syria’s Idlib province in May. (See the video at the top of this article.)
The complex dates back over 1,500 years.
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The site was found beneath an abandoned house that had been destroyed years earlier.
Pictures show the Christian tomb complex with crosses, ancient graves and a variety of bones and fragments.
Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, said that the province is one of the most historic in Syria.
“Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era,” he said.
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The official added that Idlib “has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city.”
“In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins.”
Unfortunately, archaeologists only uncovered the tombs under tragic circumstances, as the houses were destroyed during the 14-year-long Syrian civil war.
In 2020, former Syrian President Bashar Assad seized the area from opposition control, destroying and looting houses in the process.
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Despite the dark circumstances, the situation led to a discovery that sheds more light on Byzantine-era Syria.
Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat al-Numan, told the Associated Press he hopes that President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government plans to fairly compensate the property owners of the site.
Another local named Abed said he believes the discovery is an opportunity to boost tourism in the city, which is around 50 miles south of Aleppo.
“In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins,” Jaafar, who came to see the tombs with his son, told the Associated Press.
He added, “We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before … and this will help to bring back the tourism and the economy.”
In the 4th century AD, the Byzantine Empire emerged as a successor to the Roman Empire, establishing its capital in Constantinople.
Many finds from the era are still turning up across Europe and the Middle East.
A 1,600-year-old Byzantine-era mosaic from a Christian monastery was recently put on public display in Israel for the first time.
A mysterious 1,500-year-old bucket found at one of England’s most historic sites was recently found to be of Byzantine origin, having been manufactured in Antioch.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
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