Ard-al-Moharbeen necropolis

The Ard-al-Moharbeen necropolis was a Roman cemetery in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The known extent covers an estimated 4,000 square metres (43,000 sq ft) and is the largest cemetery to have been discovered in Gaza. It is thought to have been in use from the 1st century AD to the 3rd century AD and was close to the Roman town of Anthedon. The necropolis was discovered in 2022 during building works in Jabaliya. Archaeologists led by René Elter began excavating the following year and had discovered 135 graves by the time investigations were cut short by the outbreak of the Gaza war. The graves included two lead sarcophagi which were the first of their kind found in Gaza and likely belonged to wealthy people. Archaeologists also found burials where the occupants had been interred with a "Charon's obol" in their mouths, a Greco-Roman burial practice. The cemetery was damaged by bombing and bulldozing during the Gaza war, one of hundreds of cultural heritage sites damaged in the conflict.

The Ard al-Moharbeen necropolis is close to the location of Anthedon (also known as Blakhiya) and likely served as its cemetery. Anthedon was a coastal town and port inhabited from about 800 BC to 1100 AD, spanning the Iron Age to the early Muslim period. The nearby Blakhiya Byzantine cemetery was used from the 3rd to 5th centuries and also was probably connected to Anthedon. Preliminary works for construction projects in the Gaza Strip have often encountered archaeological remains, and much of the archaeology in the region has related to salvage excavations such as the works at Tell es-Sakan and Anthedon. The blockade of the Gaza Strip has hampered archaeological work by restricting access to necessary tools; from 2017 Première Urgence Internationale began training students in Gaza and providing fieldwork opportunities.

The cemetery was discovered in early 2022 during construction work for a housing project in Jabaliya. A team of archaeologists led by René Elter and Première Urgence Internationale and with funding from the École Biblique began excavations in July 2023. The discovery was announced later that month. 30 graduates from the University of Palestine and the Islamic University of Gaza were involved in the excavation. The team had been training to investigate the Saint Hilarion Monastery as part of a long-term archaeological project. The Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip beginning in October 2023 led to hundreds of heritage sites being damaged. Using satellite imagery dated to 8 October research group Forensic Architecture identified craters at the archaeological site left by exploded rockets. In November 2023, Jehad Yasin of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities reported that the cemetery was "almost completely destroyed". The Israeli military told the BBC that it had targeted "a Hamas military compound used for operational purposes". UNESCO conducted remote monitoring of cultural heritage sites in the Gaza Strip and confirmed damage to the cemetery in its January 2024 assessment. A 2025 report by the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation judged the site to be severely damaged, with a combination of bomb and bulldozer damage, while the demolition of nearby structures is expected to have left additional debris at the cemetery.

Monument data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).