Looting affects 59% of Syria’s archaeological sites

According to the latest study published in the scientific journal Heritage, which analyzed recent satellite imagery of 199 archaeological sites across Syria, the city of Afrin was identified as one of the areas most severely affected by the mechanized looting of antiquities.

The researchers classified the damage into four main categories: traditional looting, mechanized looting using bulldozers, militarization, and the construction of buildings and camps on top of archaeological sites.

59% of surveyed sites affected by looting

The study found that 116 out of the 199 archaeological sites surveyed had been subjected to varying degrees of looting, representing 59% of the total sites assessed.

This marks a significant increase compared with an earlier study covering the period from 2011 to 2016, which found that 355 out of 2,641 archaeological sites had been looted, accounting for just 13.4% of the total.

The researchers suggested that the widespread incidence of small-scale looting is closely linked to deteriorating economic and security conditions, as well as weak law enforcement, noting that this form of looting has become the most prevalent pattern in recent years.

Ain Dara ... Extensive damage from bulldozer excavations

The study identified Afrin as the area most severely affected by mechanized looting from late 2018 through 2025, noting that dozens of archaeological tells were extensively excavated using bulldozers during the same period in which Turkey and its allied armed groups took control of the region.

The study states: "Beginning in late 2018, the Turkish military and its allied factions occupied several areas in northern Syria, including the Afrin Valley and the predominantly Kurdish region surrounding the city of Kobani. In these same areas, a large number of archaeological sites later sustained severe damage as a result of mechanized looting, which appears to have been carried out in coordination with, or under the protection of, military forces."

The study further reported that the archaeological site of Ain Dara was first shelled by the Turkish military in early 2018. This was followed by the removal of the site's famous stone lion statue, which, according to the study, was transferred to Turkey, before systematic bulldozer excavations began in February 2019.

Satellite imagery showed that by January 2022, bulldozer operations had completely excavated both the upper and lower mounds of the site, leaving only the stone temple complex intact after extensive archaeological layers had been stripped away.

The study concluded that this form of mechanized excavation poses the greatest threat to archaeological heritage, as it not only removes artifacts but also destroys the site's historical stratigraphy, exposing older layers to further looting and causing irreversible damage to the archaeological record.

Nabi Huri ... Nearly destroyed by systematic excavation

Among the examples highlighted in the study is the archaeological site of Nabi Huri (Cyrrhus) in the Afrin countryside, where systematic bulldozer excavations began in mid-2019, before satellite imagery revealed in October 2020 that the site had been almost completely destroyed.

The study also documented the destruction of another archaeological site identified as CRN 4715. Bulldozers were first observed operating on the mound in 2019, while by 2022 olive trees had been cleared and the site's archaeological layers had been completely stripped away.

Militarization deepens damage to archaeological sites

The researchers documented the widespread militarization of archaeological sites through the construction of trenches, shelters, and artillery positions on archaeological mounds.

According to the study, sites such as Ebla in Idlib and Tell Qarqur in the Al-Ghab Plain of Hama were partially converted into military positions during the years of the Syrian conflict. This led to the destruction of archaeological layers and left behind unexploded ordnance and other contaminated materials that must be cleared before any conservation or restoration work can begin.

The study also documented the establishment of internally displaced persons (IDP) camps on several archaeological sites, most notably Tell al-Bay'ah, east of Raqqa, where satellite imagery revealed the presence of more than 120 tents between 2018 and 2020.

Although the camp was later dismantled, the study concluded that the site had sustained extensive damage. It also identified the emergence of new looting pits following the camp's removal, further compounding the site's archaeological losses.

Recommendations to protect Syria's remaining cultural heritage

In its conclusion, the study called for prioritizing assessments of archaeological sites affected by mechanized excavation, documenting newly exposed archaeological layers, and expanding site monitoring through satellite imagery and artificial intelligence technologies. It also urged stronger international cooperation to safeguard what remains of Syria's cultural heritage.

It is worth mentioning that Heritage is an international scientific journal specializing in cultural and natural heritage studies. It is published monthly by MDPI, an academic publishing house headquartered in Basel, Switzerland.