03.09.2026 01:50
Collector Beha Masry, living in the village of Hayt in Syria's Daraa province, voluntarily handed over to the state thousands of historical artifacts he had collected over about 20 years, including bronze coins, pistols, seals and amulets from the Ottoman era, bracelets and rings, pottery, oil lamps, stones, statues, fossils, and various historical pieces.
Beha Masry, a collector living in the village of Hayt in Syria's Dera province, voluntarily handed over thousands of historical artifacts he had gathered over about 20 years to the state.
TURNED INTO A PASSION OVER TIME
Masry, who stated that collecting, which he started as a hobby, turned over time into a responsibility towards his country's history, has in his collection bronze coins, a pistol from the Ottoman period, seals and amulets, bracelets and rings, pots, oil lamps, stones, statues, fossils, and various historical pieces.
In his statement, Masry said he preferred to hand over the thousands of historical artifacts he had gathered over about 20 years to the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums rather than keeping or selling them.
Expressing that his collecting, which started with the first piece he bought from a needy person, turned into a passion over time, Masry said, "I collected about 7-8 thousand pieces, including statues, ceramics, precious stones, beads with and without holes, various stones, and bronze pieces."
"I HAVE BEEN WITH THEM FOR 20 YEARS, THEY ARE ALMOST LIKE MY CHILDREN"
Stating that there was intense interest in his collection from surrounding regions as well, Masry noted that he contacted the Directorate of Antiquities and Museums so that the artifacts could be seen and protected by everyone.
Masry, stating that he formed an emotional bond with the artifacts in his collection, said, "These are a piece of my heart for me. I have been with them for 20 years. They are almost like my children to me. I have examined the details of each piece hundreds of times."
THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS FROM DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS
Masry said the artifacts in his collection span from the Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian periods through the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, and Ottoman periods.
Stating that he continues to collect coins belonging to Syria and other Arab countries, Masry also mentioned that his collection includes fossils from different periods.
NUMEROUS COINS FROM THE OTTOMAN PERIOD
Stating that his collection includes gold, bronze, and nickel coins from the Ottoman period, Masry said there were more than 4-5 coins such as Mecidiye, Hamidiye, and Resadiye, with two or three of them being gold coins.
Masry, stating that there were also silver pieces he believed belonged to the Greek, Roman, Ptolemaic, and Alexander the Great periods, expressed that these artifacts carry traces of the different civilizations and administrations that ruled the region in the past.
Noting that his collection also includes an old pistol he calls "Gaddara" and a cannonball, Masry stated that the pistol could be about 300-400 years old.
HE WANTS HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS TO BE PRESERVED IN A MUSEUM
Masry, noting that glass pieces with crescent and star motifs and various coins from the Ottoman period are also in his collection, said he wants the artifacts he has gathered over about 20 years to be handed over to reliable hands and preserved in a place where everyone can see them.
Masry expressed his hope that handing over his collection to the state would be a beginning for the protection of historical artifacts in the region.