Looting, trafficking of Syrian antiquties soar: Report

HOMS

The illicit trafficking of Syrian antiquities and the sale of the invaluable artifacts on social media platforms have surged dramatically since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, placing the country’s cultural heritage in grave jeopardy, according to a report by The Guardian.

The Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research Project (ATHAR), which monitors black markets for antiquities online, documented that nearly one-third of the 1,500 Syrian trafficking cases recorded since 2012 have occurred since December in 2024.

Katie Paul, ATHAR’s co-director and director of the Tech Transparency Project, added, “The past three to four months have seen the largest surge in antiquities trafficking I have ever witnessed from any country, ever.”

Paul highlighted the accelerated pace of sales: “Previously, selling a mosaic from Raqqa might have taken up to a year. Now, similar artifacts are being sold within two weeks. This is the fastest rate of artifact sales we’ve seen.”

In response, Syria’s newly established government has urged looters to cease their activities by offering monetary rewards to those who surrender antiquities rather than sell them, alongside imposing prison sentences of up to 15 years for offenders.

However, overwhelmed by the challenges of rebuilding a fractured nation and struggling to enforce control, Damascus currently lacks sufficient resources to safeguard its archaeological heritage.

Much of the looting is driven by individuals in desperate need of cash, hoping to unearth ancient coins or relics they can quickly sell. In Damascus, the number of shops selling metal detectors has multiplied, while social media advertisements showcase users uncovering hidden treasures with devices like the XTREM Hunter, priced at just over $2,000.

Facebook groups serve as gateways for traffickers, linking low-level looters within Syria to sophisticated criminal networks smuggling artifacts out of the country into neighboring Jordan and Türkiye.

The Guardian reported a local watchdog in the central city of Salamiya recorded heavy machinery digging uniform five-meter-deep holes at the Bronze Age site Tall Shaykh Ali — revealing the scale and professionalism of the looting.