Three caught illegally digging for artefacts in Irbid town

AMMAN — A man rescued by the Civil Defence Department (CDD) after being trapped in a tunnel while allegedly digging for antiquities in Irbid was referred to the administrative governor on Monday for legal action, official sources said.

The man, along with two others also referred to the governor, was digging in search of antiquities in a 12-metre tunnel in Zibdeh town that leads to an abandoned cemetery, a senior official source said.

“The men had been digging the tunnel illegally for the past few days. On Sunday, construction and paving took place on the street, which led to a collapse of the soil, trapping one of them under rubble,” the source said.

It took CDD teams over five hours to rescue the trapped man, who was listed in good condition, the source added.

“The CDD provided the trapped man with 12 bottles of oxygen to help him breathe while they carefully removed the soil and rocks to free him,” the senior official told The Jordan Times.

Jerash Department of Antiquities (DoA) Director Ahmad Shami told The Jordan Times that digging for antiquities without obtaining an official permit from the Interior Ministry is considered illegal.

“Anyone wishing to look for gold or antiquities should obtain the proper permit from the Interior Ministry. Usually it is given for a renewable period of 48 hours,” the DoA official explained.

When individuals obtain the proper permission and pay a JD1,000 fee, Shami told The Jordan Times, “they are accompanied by the concerned authorities to supervise the search operation in a bid to avoid destroying any ancient sites.”

“Unfortunately, there are many people who are obsessed with finding gold or antiquities and dig in places where they think these may be found.  The majority of the time, they find nothing and ancient sites are destroyed as a result,” he added.

Individuals who fail to obtain the proper permit could face prison terms ranging from one to three years, according to Shami.