
Contractor in Syria uncovers a surprise beneath the rubble: an ancient tomb complex
MARAAT AL-NUMAN, Syria: A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex believed to be more than 1,500 years old.
The discovery emerged last month in the town of Maarat Al-Numan in Idlib province, which is strategically located on the route between the cities of Aleppo and Damascus. The community became a touchpoint in the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war that ended with the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
Assad's forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020. Houses were looted and demolished. Aerial images of the area show many houses still standing but without roofs.
Now residents are beginning to return and rebuild. In the course of a reconstruction project, stone openings were uncovered indicating the presence of ancient graves. Residents notified the directorate of antiquities, which dispatched a specialized team to inspect and secure the site.
Aboveground, it's a residential neighborhood with rows of cinder-block buildings, many of them damaged in the war. Next to one of those buildings, a pit leads down to the openings of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs. The sign of the cross is etched into the top of one stone column.
'Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era,' said Hassan Al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib. He noted that the discovery adds to an already rich collection of archaeological sites in the area.
Idlib 'has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites in addition to an ancient city,' Al-Ismail said.
The Byzantine Empire, which began in the 4th century AD, was a continuation of the Roman empire with its capital in Constantinople — today's Istanbul — and Christianity as its official religion.
Abandoned Byzantine-era settlements called Dead Cities stretch across rocky hills and plains in northwest Syria, their weathered limestone ruins featuring remnants of stone houses, basilicas, tombs and colonnaded streets.
In the past, the owners of sites where archaeological ruins were found sometimes covered them up, fearful that their property would be seized to preserve the ruins, said Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat Al-Numan who witnessed the moment when the tomb complex was uncovered.
He said he hoped the new government will fairly compensate property owners in such cases and provide assistance to the displaced people who have returned to the area to find their homes destroyed.
The years of war led to significant damage to Syria's archaeological sites, not only from bombing but from looting and unauthorized digging.
Some see in the ruins a sign of hope for economic renewal.
Another local resident, Abed Jaafar, came with his son to explore the newly discovered tombs and take pictures.
'In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins,' he said. '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.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Asharq Al-Awsat
2 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Meeting Change and Missed Opportunities
The fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime and the rise of Ahmed al-Sharaa to the Syrian presidency is the foundational episode of the regional transformation that is currently underway. It may well be one of the most consequential outcomes of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and its aftermath or even the most consequential strategic shift the region has witnessed since the 1967 defeat. We did not merely see a change at the top of the Syrian regime. The entire regional order that had been built around an Iranian-Syrian-Lebanese axis, whose influence stretched into Iraq and Palestine, has collapsed. A new phase has begun, and the door to the Levant has now been closed to Iranian expansion. The United States has returned to the region through the front door, with its role bolstered by a rare moment of Arab consensus regarding the need to curb the non-Arab spheres of influence that had crystalized over the past two decades. This turning point has drawn unprecedented Arab and international attention, led by Saudi Arabia and crowned by President Donald Trump's meeting with al-Sharaa. Global powers then raced to Damascus as they sought a role in reshaping Syria's regional role and strategic posture. This surge of attention has come as a surprise to Lebanon. The frustration of the Lebanese has raised legitimate questions about the gulf in Arab and international engagement with Syria when compared to Lebanon. Indeed, a change in leadership has also emerged in Beirut, which has now also exited the Syrian and Iranian spheres of influence. How could the spotlight shift away from a country long seen as the 'Arab world's concern' and the 'laboratory of international settlements'? Has the world made up its mind about Beirut? Lebanon, which has sustained Arab and international attention since the 1969 Palestinian crisis, is now squandering opportunity after opportunity, gradually losing what remains of international confidence in the country. Neither limited resources nor Lebanon's fragile political system explain this failure alone; the absence of a unified national vision, political will, and commitment to reform are also crucial factors. At the same time, most Arab states and international powers had been expecting a clear stance on the key question of sovereignty in the wake of regional and domestic changes. The authorities were expected to consolidate the state's monopoly over arms, fight corruption, and affirm judicial independence. Instead, Lebanon chose ambiguity, seemingly unaware of the significance of what has happened in Syria, Iran's retreat from the Levant, and Hezbollah's waning power. The result, three months into the new government's tenure, has been stagnation, kicking the can down the road, and petty deals. Hesitation continues to prevail, fueled by a fear of the specter of civil war and the daunting task of dismantling Hezbollah's deep entrenchment in the public sector, Lebanon's security apparatus and other state institutions The authorities are also reluctant to embark on the complex and delicate process of disentangling the Shiite community from Hezbollah. It seems that Lebanon is being steadily pushed to the margins, while Syria has been granted a historic opportunity backed by broad Arab and international support. Lebanon has received little more than initiatives that lack meaningful political backing, despite the formation of a new government that signals a desire for change. Rather than deliberate neglect, this state of affairs is a reflection of deepening despair over Lebanon's ability to seize the moment and engage with clear messages. Chief among them is the demand for a clear political decision on ending all forms of armed resistance, deeming Hezbollah's weapons as illegitimate, setting a timeframe for its disarmament and pursuing a permanent truce with Israel similar to that of the 1949 armistice. These steps would strip Israel of its pretexts, though it is nonetheless unlikely to play a constructive role in either Lebanon or Syria. The current ultra-right Israeli government is gripped by paranoia. It sees every political shift in an Arab country as a direct threat, demanding everything while offering no political concessions and favoring military solutions over political compromise. The successes it has achieved in its latest war have only hardened this disposition and deepened its delusion that force alone can dictate realities on the ground, even if this comes at the cost of regional stability and risks straining Israel's relations with the Trump administration, which seeks to broaden the Abraham Accords. In the end, the difference between Syria and Lebanon lies not in the scale of their respective crises, but in each country's ability to respond to those crises. The collapse of the Syrian regime has triggered a structural and strategic metamorphosis that has drawn in international and Arab actors eager to fill the vacuum and redraw the regional map. Syria finds itself at a moment that mirrors the post-Cold War era. This is a moment of reckoning, reshuffling, and opening up to new possibilities. Lebanon, by contrast, remains caught in a grey zone. It is neither fully collapsing nor genuinely recovering, content to manage its crises without resolving them. As Damascus transforms into the foundation of a new regional order in which it plays an active role, Beirut is fading from the world's view. The bell of transformation has rung, and opportunities do not wait for those who squander them. In a world ruled by hard reality rather than good intentions, hedging and delay no longer convince anyone.


Arab News
5 hours ago
- Arab News
Al-Habtoor Group chairman to lead high-level delegation to Syria, exploring investment opportunities
RIYADH: The head of Dubai conglomerate Al-Habtoor Group is set to visit Syria with a delegation of senior executives to discuss potential investments and partnerships with the new government. According to a statement, the visit reflects the group's ongoing strategy to explore new avenues of cooperation with the Syrian government and to assess potential investment opportunities across multiple sectors. It added that the trip stems from 'a firm belief' in Syria's ability to recover its strength and regional standing and the importance of public-private partnerships in the country's rebuilding phase. The move comes as Syria's transitional government, led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, pushes economic reforms to attract foreign investment, including privatizations, relaxed trade policies, and major infrastructure deals. Speaking ahead of the trip, the group's Chairman Khalaf Ahmad Al-Habtoor said: 'Syria is a country rich in culture, history, and capable people. We believe in its future potential and are eager to play a role in its revival through meaningful projects that generate employment.' He added: 'We look to Syria with great confidence. Its people possess the energy and resilience needed to shape a strong and prosperous future. As an Arab group with deep regional roots, we consider it both a moral and economic responsibility to stand as a partner in rebuilding stable and thriving societies.' Al-Habtoor Group, a UAE-based multinational with a strong presence in the hospitality, real estate, and automotive industries, has a history of large-scale investments in the Middle East. The move follows the organization's recent withdrawal from Lebanon, where it cited instability as a barrier to business.


Arab News
7 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria's central bank plans currency unification and return to global payment system SWIFT
RIYADH: Syria will adopt a unified exchange rate before transitioning to a managed float system as it seeks to stabilize a currency that has lost nearly all its value against the US dollar. In an interview with the Financial Times, Central Bank of Syria's Governor Abdulkader Husrieh confirmed the reforms, emphasizing efforts to eliminate the role of unauthorized money changers in the country's foreign exchange market as part of broader financial reconstruction. Syria is also set to be fully reintegrated into the SWIFT international money transfer system within weeks, reconnecting the country to global finance after 14 years of war and sanctions. The country is working to revive its economy after years of conflict, with its transitional government, led by President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, implementing reforms such as privatizing state-owned firms, easing import restrictions, and attracting foreign investment. 'We aim to enhance the brand of the country as a financial hub given the expected foreign direct investment in rebuilding and infrastructure — this is crucial,' Husrieh told the FT. Key developments in Syria include a $7 billion energy deal with Qatar, the reopening of the Damascus Securities Exchange, and a $300 million fiber-optic project with Gulf telecom companies. These initiatives come as Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledge financial support to help stabilize Syria's economy amid a gradual easing of Western sanctions. SWIFT reconnection to boost trade and investment The reintegration into SWIFT marks a milestone in the new government's economic liberalization efforts following the lifting of US sanctions last month. The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications is a global cooperative that facilitates secure international money and security transfers through a vast messaging network, enabling banks and financial institutions to exchange information and instructions for financial transactions. Husrieh, who took office in April, said that significant progress has been made but acknowledged that there's still much work ahead. Post-war economic challenges Since 2011, Syria has been isolated from global markets due to war and sanctions. The economy collapsed under ex-President Bashar Assad and when Al-Sharaa took power last December, his government swiftly introduced free-market reforms to revive the economy and reassure wary foreign investors. Last month, President Donald Trump's announcement of lifting sanctions provided a major boost, but Husrieh stressed that 'a full policy shift is still needed,' calling for comprehensive sanctions removal rather than selective measures. 'The central bank previously micromanaged the financial system, overregulated lending, and restricted withdrawals,' he said. 'We're reforming through recapitalization, deregulation, and re-establishing banks as intermediaries between households and businesses.' Reconnecting to SWIFT will reduce import costs, facilitate exports, and curb reliance on informal financial networks. Husrieh said all foreign trade will now go through formal banks, cutting out money changers who took a 40 percent cut on dollar transactions. Before Assad left the presidency, the Syrian pound plummeted. While it has since strengthened, volatility remains. Husrieh aims to unify official and black-market rates before transitioning to a managed floating exchange rate system. Gulf nations are actively supporting the reforms in Syria, and Saudi Arabia and Qatar cleared the country's World Bank debt and pledged to cover public sector salaries for three months. 'Effective May 12, 2025, the arrears of approximately $15.5 million due to the International Development Association by the Syrian Arab Republic have been cleared,' the World Bank confirmed on May 16.