Construction Workers Discover Ancient Church in Gaza

One would expect to find decayed rocket launchers, or exploded ordinance from recent wars with Israel while digging into the ground in Gaza, but construction workers recently uncovered some ancient artifacts that few people expected.

Palestinian tourism officials say evidence of an ancient religious Christian site--perhaps dating back as early as the sixth century was uncovered recently during the construction of a new shopping mall.

According to Haaretz, construction workers found 15 pieces of what was once an ancient church. They include marble Corinthian pillars and a 35-inch long foundation stone that bears the Greek symbol for Christ.

The general director of the Palestinian Antiquities Ministry, Jamal Abu Rida believes the site was home to a Byzantine church or cathedral constructed during the rule of Emperor Justinian.

"During that era, there was a great interest among Byzantine rulers to build churches in the Gaza Strip," he said.

The artifacts will be housed for further study at the Hamas-run Tourism and Antiquities Ministry museum.

Predominantly Christian at one time, today Gaza is mostly Muslim and is governed by the Hamas terror group. Only about a few thousand Christians remain.