(9 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Idlib, Syria – 30 May 2025
1. Various drone shots of location of archaeological site ++MUTE++
2. Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib, walking in the archaeological site
3. Various of al-Ismail pointing at cross in rock
4. Various of al-Ismail drawing cross in notepad
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib:
“This archaeological site is made up of two burial chambers, each containing six stone tombs. Based on the presence of the cross and the pottery and glass pieces that were found, this tomb dates back to the Byzantine era.”
6. Various of al-Ismail walking at site, taking pictures and notes
7. Mid of hole in ground
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Hassan al-Ismail, director of antiquities in Idlib:
“Idlib governorate has a third of the monuments of Syria, containing 800 archaeological sites.”
9. Local resident, Maarat al-Numan, walking at site
10. Al-Numan looking at site
11. Various of archaeological site
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ghiath Sheikh Diab, local resident:
“In the past, when people discovered archaeological ruins, they would cover it up as if they were covering up a crime. The owner of the property where the ruins were found should not have the antiquities and their property seized from them, and they should be compensated. The government should pay attention to antiquities and they should restore them so that people can come and see them and learn about the history of the city.”
13. Various of local resident, Abed Jaafar, taking pictures of ruins
14. Mid of boy standing in ruins
15. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abed Jaafar, local resident:
“In the old days, a lot of foreign tourists used to come to Maarat just to see the ruins.”
16. Various of people looking at the ruins
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Abed Jaafar, resident of Maarat al-Numan:
“We need to take care of these antiquities and restore them and return them to the way they were before. This will bring tourist or antiquities groups here and this will help bring back tourism and the economy at the same time.”
18. Various of al-Ismail laying out pieces of pottery found at archaeological site
19. Various of al-Ismail laying out bones found in burial chambers
STORYLINE:
A contractor digging into the earth where the rubble of a destroyed house had been cleared away in northern Syria stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an underground Byzantine tomb complex believed to be more than 1,500 years old.
The discovery emerged last month in the town of Maarat al-Numan in the Idlib province, which is strategically located on the route 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 Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
Assad’s forces seized the area back from opposition control in 2020. Houses were looted and demolished. Aerial images of the area show many houses s... [truncated]
--
Support podtube.me continuity as a free service. Become a Patreon or make an one-time donation
--
Video at Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOsw6IxaAEw