Every archaeological discovery in Gaza reveals a bit more about the civilizations that inhabited the land. These discoveries include mosaics, manuscripts, artifacts and aesthetic elements belonging to mosques and churches. The majority of such discoveries are often found by civilians by chance as a result of the great urban sprawl inside the enclave and in the absence of official excavation and research work on archaeology in Gaza.

Most recently, Salman al-Nabahin, a 51-year-old farmer, discovered a 500-square-meter Byzantine mosaic floor while he was trying to plant an olive tree with his son on the land he inherited from his father in al-Bureij in south Gaza.

Nabahin told Al-Monitor, “Seven months ago while trying to plant an olive tree, I hit something hard in the ground. My son, Mohammed, who is 16, and I tried to dig to see what it was and we found drawings of colorful birds and large animals.”

He added, “I continued digging for months until a large mosaic panel was revealed before my eyes. I then headed to the Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism and asked officials to implement the law, which means they had to evaluate the discovery, pay me a financial reward and give me alternative land. However, the ministry never got back to me and never sent any official papers, although many people from the ministry and the media visited the site.”