The remains of an ancient underground Byzantine tomb complex, believed to be more than 1,500 years old, have been unearthed in northern Syria.
A contractor was digging beneath the rubble of a destroyed house in the town of Maarat al-Numan in May when he made the startling find.
Residents alerted the directorate of antiquities, which dispatched a specialised team to inspect and secure the site.
They discovered a pit next to one of the town's cinder-block buildings, leading to the openings of two burial chambers.
Each contained six stone tombs, with the sign of the cross 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," director of antiquities in the town's Idlib province, Hassan al-Ismail, said.
He said 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," he said.
The Byzantine Empire began in the 4th century AD and was a continuation of the Roman Empire, with Christianity as its official religion.
Abandoned Byzantine-era settlements — called Dead Cities — stretch across rocky hills and plains in north-west Syria.
Their weathered limestone ruins feature remnants of stone houses, basilicas, tombs and colonnaded streets.
Residents returning to rebuild after civil war
The town of Maarat al-Numan, where this latest archaeological site was unearthed, lies 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 al-Assad in December.
Mr Assad's forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020.
Houses were looted and demolished, with aerial images of the area showing many houses are still standing but with roofs torn off.
Residents are now beginning to return and rebuild.
Ghiath Sheikh Diab, a resident of Maarat al-Numan, said past owners of sites where archaeological ruins were found sometimes covered them up, fearful their property would be seized to preserve the ruins.
He said he hoped the new government would 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 unauthorised digging.
Some see in the ruins a sign of hope for economic renewal.
Abed Jaafar, another resident, said in the "old days", many foreign tourists travelled to see the ruins.
"We need to take care of the antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before," he said.
"This will help to bring back the tourism and the economy."
ABC/AP
