In the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s downfall last December, an unexpected new phenomenon has gripped the Syrian capital: the shimmer of gold fever. As reported by the Financial Times, the nightly silence of Damascus is now pierced by the soft whir of metal detectors sweeping the ground — the tools of a burgeoning treasure-hunting movement that has taken hold across the country.
Freed from the stifling restrictions of Assad’s authoritarian rule, Syrians, still burdened by economic collapse and the scars of war, are taking to fields, backyards, and historic ruins with shovels, maps, and high-tech gadgets in hand, chasing long-whispered legends of buried riches.
“For decades, it was too dangerous to go hunting on a moonlit night,” said 67-year-old Abu Wael, a veteran treasure hunter. “Now, the fear is gone — but the poverty remains.”
Retailers say metal detectors — once banned — are now freely sold in Damascus, with entire stores dedicated to the hobby. The devices, some priced as high as $10,000, are marketed with imagery of Syrian flags, glittering gold, and hopeful prospectors. Vendors report that interest has surged since the regime’s collapse, driven not only by financial desperation but also a deep-rooted cultural mythology.
“Syria is the cradle of civilizations,” said one Damascus shop owner, noting that many buyers are inspired by stories passed down through generations — tales of ancient travelers, Silk Road caravans, and Ottoman soldiers hiding their treasures during retreat.
The Financial Times notes that while some treasure hunters dig for family lore, others treat the hunt as a pastime — even bringing child-sized detectors in bright colors for weekend excursions. But beneath the romanticism lies a darker reality: danger, deception, and a thriving underground trade in potentially stolen or fake antiquities.
Amr al-Azm, a former Syrian antiquities official and current professor at Shawnee State University in Ohio, says that the war has left many desperate. “Most Syrians live on top of an archaeological site,” he explained. With 90% of the population now living in poverty according to the UN, treasure hunting has become a form of survival.
Rumors of overnight riches, fueled by alleged discoveries and dramatic legends — including tales of buried Ottoman gold near the historic Hejaz railway — have only intensified the craze. Yet experts consulted by the Financial Times are skeptical. They believe many of the items surfacing online and in shadowy deals are either looted museum pieces or outright forgeries.
Despite the ongoing illegality of unauthorized excavations, government authorities have largely turned a blind eye. A media official admitted that enforcement was near impossible: “We simply cannot patrol every site.”
International dealers and regional businesses have moved quickly to capitalize. Social media platforms now feature advertisements from the UAE and Kuwait selling detectors supposedly optimized for Syria’s terrain. Some even boast waterproof models for underwater treasure dives.
But the risks are real. Abu Wael recalls returning to a site after weeks of searching, only to find it already looted. “The villagers said someone had found a chest of gold,” he said. “But we have a saying: ‘Whoever finds gold, loses his mind.’”
From ancient Hebrew scrolls to bogus Roman coins, items are being peddled to overseas buyers, often with little verification. Al-Azm warns that most of these so-called treasures are the products of overactive imaginations — or worse, the spoils of wartime looting.
Even amid warnings and fraud, Syria’s gold rush shows no signs of slowing. What began as a desperate response to poverty and a cultural obsession with buried treasure has become, in the words of one seller, “a national pastime.”
As the Financial Times reports, in a country trying to find its footing after years of dictatorship and civil war, the dream of striking it rich — or rediscovering lost heritage — now glints beneath the surface.
