{"id":126592,"date":"2025-06-18T08:43:47","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:43:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/?p=126592"},"modified":"2025-06-18T08:45:08","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T08:45:08","slug":"illegal-excavations-surge-in-deir-ez-zor-amid-government-inaction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npasyria.com\/en\/126592\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal excavations surge in Deir ez-Zor amid government inaction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Hussam Shahin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) \u2013 <\/strong>In Syria\u2019s eastern Deir ez-Zor countryside, economic desperation and government neglect have fueled a surge in illegal archaeological excavations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Armed with sophisticated equipment and backed by transnational smuggling networks, residents are looting centuries-old heritage sites in search of buried treasures\u2014while officials warn of irreversible cultural loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhammad al-Ali, 40, a resident of Deir ez-Zor countryside, recently rented an electronic metal detector after hearing from a friend about possible signs of an archaeological tomb located about 13 kilometers west of Abu Kamal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organized networks<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to North Press, al-Ali said he paid approximately $1,000 to rent the device for just three days, as he could not afford the full purchase price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpending $1,000 to rent the device for three days is better than paying $10,000 outright. Once I find and sell something valuable, I can afford to buy one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To him, the act is neither immoral nor illegal\u2014rather, he considers it a \u201clegitimate right,\u201d urging others to follow suit, especially amid the ongoing economic crisis that has devastated Syrian livelihoods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unregulated excavations using advanced imported equipment are spreading across Deir ez-Zor. Antiquities dealers have reportedly brought in sophisticated electronic devices from abroad, enabling the looting of historical sites both inside and around the city. Affected locations include al-Tarif, al-Musareb, Ayyash, al-Kharita, and Tel Tabus in al-Shumaytiyah, extending even into the Nazira site in the Bishri Mountains desert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdul-Jabbar al-Khader, a local antiquities excavator, told North Press that Jewish cemeteries are among the most sought-after targets, as they are often believed to contain buried valuables such as gold, statues, coins, and other artifacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that many excavators work in organized groups\u2014some focusing on the digging, while others, often based abroad in Lebanon and Turkey, specialize in marketing the finds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excavated artifacts are typically promoted via social media platforms such as Facebook, Telegram, and WhatsApp, and then smuggled out of Syria through illicit routes, primarily into Lebanon and Turkey, according to North Press sources.<\/p>\n\n\n

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