Turkish-backed factions bulldoze historical sites in Syria’s Tel Abyad
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition factionsare bulldozing the archaeological sites in the areas under their control in Tel Abyad and its countryside, a local official in Ain Issa town in north of Raqqa, northern Syria, said yesterday.
The Turkish forces and the armed factions controlled Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye in October 2019 following a military action displacing around 300,00 people.
Farhad Shukri, the person in charge of the cultural and heritage committee in Ain Issa said, Tel Sahlan, Dehliz, Sabi al-Abyed, al-Farr city and Tel Hashish areas in Tel Abyad were bulldozed.
Some of these sites were transferred to military zones such as Kafifa archaeological site, Shukri added.
Approximately 50 historical sites that date back to the Roman and Byzantine eras are there in Tel Abyad, according to the Cultural Board of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
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Photo caption: Tel Dehliz historical site has been bulldozed by the Turkish forces and the armed factions with heavy digging machines
Tel Sahlan archaeological site in the village of Khirbet al-Riz, 8 km west of Tel Abyad, was bulldozed with heavy digging machines and that its contents was looted, Shukri noted.
Yesterday, cross-checked sources reported to North Press that few days ago a Turkish-backed opposition faction bulldozed several houses in Ain Hisan village south of the Turkish-controlled Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain).
In September 2020, Tel Dehliz was bulldozed on the pretext to set up a military zone on top of the hill. Civilians were denied approaching the site, then, according to Shukri.
Tel Hashish site, located on the highway between Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye, was also bulldozed on the same date.
The majority of the antiquities extracted from the sites are smuggled to Turkey.
Turkish-backed factions ignore international conventions and deals to protect the human cultural heritage during the armed conflict, according to Shukri.
Shukri called on the related organizations to protect the archaeological sites and pressure Turkey to stop its violations to the heritage that indicates the civilization and history of the region.