Palestinian farmer Suleiman Al-Nabaheen found mosaic floors dating back to the Byzantine era with the shapes of a group of colorful birds and other animals, while performing his agricultural work on his land located in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in the Gaza Strip said, on Saturday, that the initial discovery of this archaeological site proved the presence of "mosaic floors containing icons of animals dating back to the Byzantine era, and drawings that embody social life at the time."

Salman Al Nabaheen cleans the discovered archaeological mosaic (Reuters)

And she added in a statement, "There is also another group of floors with geometric shapes and some architectural monuments and evidence of the ancient walls," and stated that "pottery collectibles and glass bottles were found at the place of the search."

The ministry explained that it is working "in partnership with international experts and archaeologists from the French School of Archeology to learn more secrets and cultural values, in the various eras that the land of Gaza went through."

The ministry praised the role of the Palestinian farmer and his "high patriotic sense, which prompted him to inform the relevant authorities."

The mosaic floors include different shapes of animals such as geese, ducks, foxes and rabbits (Anatolia).

Al Nabaheen told Reuters that he tried to find out why some of the trees he planted did not establish their roots in the soil properly, adding that he and his son began digging to discover the reason.

Mosaic floors in the middle of the farm owned by the farmer Salman Al Nabahin (Anatolia)

Al-Nabahin, a father of seven, added, while sitting next to the discovered antiquity, "I searched the Internet ... and we knew that this (this) is a mosaic belonging to the Byzantine era."

He added, "As a treasure and more precious than a treasure... this is not (not) a personal thing, this is for every Palestinian."

Al-Nabahin added to Anadolu Agency, "We discovered the existence of these floors during my research in the depth of the agricultural land about the cause of the death of trees about 6 months ago."

Palestinian farmer Salman Al Nabaheen cleans a mosaic floor he discovered on his farm dating back to the Byzantine era (Reuters)

Gaza antiquities

On the fourth of this September, the ministry announced "a large archaeological discovery of mosaic floors dating back to the Byzantine era east of Al-Bureij camp."

"This discovery will add prestige, dignity and history to Palestinian civilization," said Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Muhammad Khaleh, in a press conference held at the time.

Byzantine mosaics are not the first antiquities to be discovered in Gaza this year (Reuters)

The city of Gaza is one of the ancient cities of the world, and was subject to the rule of the Pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Muslims, and for this reason it is rich in antiquities as it was an important commercial site for civilizations dating back to the ancient Egyptians and Palestinians mentioned in the Bible, passing through the Roman Empire and the Crusades.

Archeology issues constitute political issues in the Palestinian territories, and Israel has an arsenal of archaeologists who reveal a remarkable number of ancient treasures, while in Gaza, this sector is still largely underdeveloped.

There have been a number of archaeological excavations in Gaza in the past years, but due to poor funding and the lack of specialists, Gaza usually invites international organizations to help with excavations and restoration.