Syrian government accuses Turkey of excavation archaeological site in Syria’s Afrin
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian government accused Turkish authorities and the Turkish-backed opposition factions of excavation of an archaeological site in Afrin countryside, northern Aleppo, in search of buried treasures.
The Turkish forces have excavated an archeological hill in the southern part of Marwaniyah Tahtani village near Turkish borders in Sheikh al-Hadid district, the pro-government al-watan newspaper cited locals as saying.
Dozens of cultivated lands surrounding the hill have been excavated, high foothills have been destroyed and archaeological layers have been damaged and stolen, the source added.
In late December, factions affiliated with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) started digging and bulldozing in search of antiquities in Tel Aboush archaeological site in Afrin countryside.
Stealing antiquities in Afrin city is carried out systematically and managed by the Turkish intelligence.
In late November, the Turkish authorities introduced heavy excavators to the district of Maabatli to dig for antiquities with the aim to loot them, residents in the area said.
The excavations started in Kali Khariba site, northern Afrin, under the supervision of the Turkish-backed Muhammad al-Fateh faction which controls the area.
Kali Khariba site is rich of ancient wells and buried treasures, according to the source.
Since Turkey took control over Afrin in 2018, it has continued its policy in implementing demographic change, archaeological excavations, change the areas’ landmarks and names aiming at reviving the Ottoman Empire.
The Afrin region includes 56 archaeological sites registered with Syrian government departments, in addition to more than 40 archaeological sites documented by the Antiquities Directorate in the Autonomous Administration of Afrin between 2014 and 2018.
In July 2019, the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums in Syria called on international organizations, international legal and academic figures interested in culture, and all those interested in human civilization to intervene in order to protect Syria’s cultural heritage, and put an end to what it had described as the unjust aggression of the Turkish military on the archaeological sites in the Aleppo countryside.
The government statement at the time said that photos from Afrin showed the discovery of rare statues and sculptures dating back to the first millennium BC and the Roman era.
These violations are carried out in most of the archaeological sites of Afrin registered on the National Heritage List including Tel Berij Abdalo, Tel Ein Dara, Tel Jendiris, and Nebi Huri site, according to the statement.