AI-generated clips misrepresented as Syria's treasure trove
- Published on December 18, 2025 at 09:36
- 4 min read
- By Anne CHAN, AFP Hong Kong
Syrian officials rejected online rumours that a gold-filled cave was discovered in al-Hara in the southern part of the country in November 2025 after locals flocked to the town. But their denial did not deter social media users from believing that fabricated videos circulating online showed the underground chambers filled with the precious metal. The clips contain visual errors and some of them can be traced to a YouTube account that published similar videos marked as AI-generated.
"Rumour about a gold cave in Daraa Province, Syria," reads the simplified Chinese text overlaid on a Douyin video shared December 1, 2025.
It contains clips showing a person holding a torch walking through a stone tunnel, a chamber stacked with gold bars, and a cave containing statues and a treasure chest.
Residents flocked to the town of al-Hara in Daraa after rumours circulated online in November about the discovery of a gold-filled cave, although officials clarified that excavation work at a private residence had uncovered only a small opening, and that no evidence of gold was found at the site, according to state media Syrian Arab News Agency (archived link).
During the civil war, archaeological sites across Syria were bombed, museums were looted, and many artefacts were stolen, generating millions of dollars for traffickers.
After the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, gold-digging surged in Syria, where people searched for coins and other artefacts, according to The Irish Times (archived link).
Syria's national museum in Damascus detained several employees and guards for questioning in November after thieves stole ancient gold ingots from the institution (archived link).
The video was widely shared on Weibo, RedNote, YouTube and X in English, French, and Polish.
One commented in Chinese: "It doesn't appear fabricated. It does seem authentic."
Another user wrote in English: "The Treasure of the Templars."
But the circulating clips bear signs of AI.
Visual inconsistencies
A reverse image search using keyframes on Google traced the first clip to a video posted on the Facebook page "Jamel Alhasan" -- which identifies its owner as a content creator -- on November 23 (archived link).
"#Daraa two tonnes of gold. One of the rooms that has just been discovered in the city of al-Hara, estimated to contain two tonnes of gold. The second room's video will be released shortly," the Arabic-language caption reads.
Visual inconsistencies -- such as unnaturally extended light beams and misplaced shadows -- indicate the footage was digitally created.
Subsequent reverse image searches found the other clips in the false video shared on a Facebook page called "The Hunter Marcus" (archived link).
The second video was posted on October 29, 2025 (archived link).
Its caption, which does not specify the location, reads: "We're exploring an ancient chamber of untouched gold. This footage shows what it's like to discover a hidden vault filled with gold."
The video contains some visual errors, including the shadow of a pillar that appears fused with the structure itself, while spider webs remain still despite dust that appears to be blown around.
The third clip was shared on November 8 with a caption that reads: "A journey deep inside a compact underground chamber. The scene reveals golden Roman statues, centuries-old Roman chairs, and piles of gold bars, all untouched for centuries." (archived link).
Features such as the absence of the treasure chest's pall and misaligned orientation of the rocks' shadows suggest that the video is not authentic.
AFP reached out to the users for comment but has not received a reply.
Hive Moderation's AI video detector has flagged all three clips as likely to contain AI-generated content.
"The Hunter Marcus" also has a YouTube channel containing videos that similarly show gold ingots and artefacts inside a cave flagged as altered or synthetic content (archived here, here and here).
Arab fact-checking organisation Misbar also debunked the claim (archived link).
AFP has previously fact-checked other misinformation related to AI.
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