海角大神

Syrian smugglers enjoy a free-for-all among ancient ruins

WIth no worry they'll be discovered by Syria's intelligence agents, Syrian smugglers are plundering 鈥� and selling 鈥� everything from coins to funerary busts with impunity.

Syrian rebel Abu Abd al-Tedmuri grew up in the听shadow of Palmyra's ancient ruins. Like many in his family,听he illegally excavated and sold archaeological treasures on the side. Amid the chaos of war, this business is chugging along. 听

Sitting on a thin mattress听in the apartment in Turkey he shares with a dozen rebel fighters, Mr. Tedmuri quickly swipes through photos on his smartphone, displaying Islamic gold coins and funerary busts 鈥� a few of his treasures. He hid some in his hometown, smuggling the rest to Turkey. Most of them听he sold.

The artifacts come from Palmyra's majestic Greco-Roman ruins, the remains of a caravan stop between the 1st and 3rd centuries that is recognized by the UN cultural agency, UNESCO, as a world heritage site. Battles between the regime and rebels, many of whom took shelter in the clusters of palm and date trees skirting the ruins, created the perfect opportunity for plunder.听

鈥淎fter the events in Syria, all the ruins became exposed and no one was protecting them,鈥� says the听25-year-old, who worked in an oriental听shop in Palmyra before the uprising. 鈥淭he Army shelled this and other areas on the pretext that rebels were hiding there. The bombing opened up new craters, allowing people easy access to ruins. Some citizens stole ruins seeking a profit, FSA fighters also took stuff to get money for ammunition."

Tedmuri fled, but not before burying the bounty that proved too big to carry and packing away smaller items to sell in Turkey.

'No more fear'

Palmyra and the adjacent town of Tedmur used to be major tourist destinations. Residents made a living off of the hotels, shops, and restaurants catering to visitors, while Bedouins and their camels hawked sunrise and sunset rides among the ruins. The evocative structures are scarred, but they escaped the full-scale destruction wrought on many of Syria's other historic sites and cities.

Still, Tedmuri 鈥� whose black market nickname is derived from the town name 鈥撎齢as no illusions that tourism will return soon, and is听unapologetic about his role chipping away at the national heritage.

Palmyran art, which fuses Greco and Roman techniques with Iranian and indigenous influences, is coveted worldwide. An illicit trade in such artifacts existed well before the conflict, but fear of the听mukhabarat,听intelligence, kept a听check听on it. Getting caught could result in a 15-year prison sentence.

The Valley of the Tombs, a necropolis just outside the city鈥檚 ancient walls, is one of the main looting sites. Tedmuri says that even the large听limestone slabs with human busts representing the interred were sold off on the black market.

"Now there is no more fear," he says.听

Booming business

France Desmarais of the Paris-based International Council of Museums (ICOM) says smuggling of cultural objects has 鈥渧astly" increased since the start of the conflict, fueled by both professional dealers and amateurs who don't understand the implications. Her organization published the 鈥溾�� in 2013 to help civilians and law enforcement officials recognize objects that may be illicitly traded. She warns that many artifacts will only surface years down the line.听

Tedmuri considers anything not registered with UNESCO before the war to be fair game. Most of his clients are Turks linked to smuggling mafias or other Syrians working in the business, although one piece听was bought directly听by a private buyer in Germany. He also makes the occasional trip to Istanbul to sell smaller artifacts to foreign collectors and oriental shop merchants.

Not all of the items in Tedmuri鈥檚 collection come from Palmyra. He also has a piece of pottery recovered from Idlib Province, which is rich in ruins. The ceramic vase听allegedly dates to the Mari kingdom, a Bronze Age civilization that flourished on the western bank of the Euphrates River. He first put the item up for $500, but in a moment of despair he offered to sell it for听$150.听

Declining profits

Tedmuri complains that newcomers have driven down prices by flooding the market and ignorantly selling artifacts for less than they are worth. Only half-joking, he says he hopes for a crackdown by the Turkish authorities to drive prices back up.

鈥淧recious pieces are being sold for $300 to $400 a pop 鈥� nothing!鈥� he says with genuine indignation. "Veteran smugglers feel sad when they see such items fetching such low prices.鈥�

In a tattered apartment in Reyhanli, three smugglers lay out a sample of their goods. One is an elderly man sporting glasses, the second a wounded rebel seeking a quick commission to cover medical costs, and the third an ex-tourism worker who speaks a smattering of English.听

Their stock in Turkey听includes ancient ceramic figurines from Talbiseh in Syria, Bronze Age coins, and blackstone oil lamps. They also have听a collection of images on their phones of artifacts they say are in Syria but can be brought听to Turkey听at a moment鈥檚 notice for the right price.听

They want $3,200 for a trio of an Ancient Greek high-relief silver coin emblazoned with the owl of Athena, a limestone cup, and a metal bird figurine they obtained from another smuggler.听A fist-sized Roman head, tagged at $3,500,听is their trophy piece.

When pressed, the wounded rebel 鈥� a middleman for a bigger player听听鈥� says he is willing to sell the silver coin for $200.

"He is desperate and doesn鈥檛 know the value of what he has,鈥� says the eldest man, exasperated.