An old and new fever is spreading like wildfire, becoming a phenomenon that has overtaken the outskirts and rural areas of Syria, as people search for buried treasures and archaeological artifacts among ruins, hills, plains, and forgotten ancient cities. Syrian youth are clinging to their dreams amidst stones and symbols, armed with little more than time, patience, and their shovels, hoping to strike treasure with their pickaxe. How did it start, how has it evolved, and where does it stand today, between the past, present, and future? In this report, let’s explore the treasure hunters of Syria and how this phenomenon has become widespread, digging up the soil of Syria amidst its major political upheavals.
The History of Excavation in Syria
The practice of digging and searching for treasures and artifacts has been around as long as the Syrian state itself, deeply tied to the country’s history and the many civilizations that have flourished on this land for thousands of years. From the Romans and Ottomans to the French, each period left behind invaluable treasures and relics. Syria has always been a land teeming with treasures, hidden beneath its soil, waiting for those who ruled and those who passed through time.
The phenomenon has grown with every political and military shift in Syria’s history, with the aim of attaining wealth in the shortest and least costly manner. Even official international archaeological excavations in Syria have unearthed only a small fraction of the treasures buried in its land. Illegal treasure hunters, on the other hand, seek out metal finds—gold, silver, and copper, along with pottery, statues, and jewelry—items that are easy to sell and trade for large sums.
Since the onset of the Syrian events in early 2011, “treasure hunters” have dedicated themselves to digging and searching. Between 2013 and 2020, illegal excavations expanded in parallel with the loss of security control over vast parts of Syria. The country’s map was divided among various armed factions: opposition forces stationed in the north, near the ancient ruins of Mari, Ebla, and Sergilla; southern factions around the plains of Daraa, Sweida, and the historic city of Bosra; the regime’s forces along the coastal line and its hills and castles; the presence of ISIS in the ancient city of Palmyra; and Kurdish and Arab factions controlling the hills of Hasakah and Qamishli in eastern Syria.
These factions and forces soon became involved in these illegal operations, turning them into organized cartels for searching, digging, and smuggling artifacts to fund their military operations. The phenomenon became nearly public after the fall of the regime, with wide use of specialized soil scanning devices for detecting precious metals in every Syrian governorate—east, north, south, and west—amid the complete absence of Syrian authorities responsible for preserving the country’s heritage.
Symbols, Observations, and Dreams Yet to Be Realized
The process seems simple: all you need is a pickaxe and basic digging tools. But the hardest part is patience. One of the treasure hunters, “Ali” (a pseudonym), described the task this way. He explained that the process starts with choosing a location and looking for surface markings such as scorpions, circles, squares, or even ancient inscriptions and geometric symbols. The next step is interpreting these markings to understand the type of treasure. Often, experts or “guides” with experience in interpreting and locating treasures are consulted—though this is a paid service.
This phenomenon, while rooted in illegal activity, is also a destructive force against Syria’s cultural heritage, harming what could be the foundation of a unified national identity. Rose Al-Absi, an exiled archaeologist from Idlib, Syria, emphasized that these individual and organized operations distort the historical layers of Syria’s archaeological sites, making legal excavation efforts nearly impossible. “Artifacts are direct material evidence of a specific time period, reflecting the customs, traditions, and heritage of previous civilizations, forming a cohesive narrative across time,” she explained.
Rose shared her shock when moving from Syria to Turkey, where the border became a smuggling route for Syrian antiquities. Some acquaintances came to her for help in evaluating artifacts, unaware of the historical and monetary value of what they possessed.
She called on the new Syrian authorities to take steps to protect archaeological sites, crack down on illegal digging, and work with international organizations such as UNESCO to preserve Syria’s heritage.
Rose also appealed to her fellow archaeologists to form an association to assess and inventory the destruction caused by the war and the degradation of archaeological sites. While the task seems daunting, Rose expressed her enthusiasm and readiness to engage in any scientific fieldwork on the matter.
Legal Viewpoint on Protecting Syrian Heritage
From a legal perspective, attorney Abada Al-Azki offered insights into protecting Syria’s heritage and combating illegal excavations. According to him, the most important tool is the effective implementation of the Antiquities Law. Law No. 222 of 1963 defines excavation, outlines the responsible authorities such as the Syrian Criminal Court, and imposes severe penalties—ranging from 15 to 25 years in prison—for those caught smuggling antiquities. The law protects Syrian antiquities, even if they are located on private property, preventing any unauthorized handling.
However, Al-Azki noted that this law has lost much of its effectiveness due to the widespread phenomenon of illegal digging and excavation amidst Syria’s chaos. He emphasized the urgent need to activate modern surveillance tools in museums and archaeological sites, pursue and dismantle excavation cartels, and hold those responsible accountable, applying the harshest penalties under the law. Al-Azki also called for making the issue a public matter to prevent the further destruction of Syria’s cultural heritage and national identity.
Ali, who has worked as a treasure hunter for years without finding his desired treasure, shared his latest goal: acquiring a metal detector, which has become available but is expensive, costing anywhere between $800 and several thousand dollars. He sent us pictures of his new target, marked by signs such as a rocky scorpion, a square, and “a child’s footprint,” claiming that this site will make him rich.
When asked how he would sell any treasures he might find, Ali explained that he had his own methods and knew people who could provide customers willing to pay for and smuggle these treasures. Many are still digging in their lands.
Between Law, Archaeology, and Identity Loss
In the clash between legal preservation, archaeology, and the illegal treasure hunting epidemic, Syria continues to face a massive loss of cultural awareness and a distortion of its national identity.
