Syrians find plenty of bargains at markets for looted goods — sometimes their own

BEIRUT - The street market in Jaramana, Syria, is a bargain hunter's paradise.

Shoppers might find an ornate, 43-square-foot wool rug made by hand in Aleppo and pay less than $5 for it, rather than $100 or more. A refrigerator, normally $400, could be bought for half that much.

The items are a steal because they were, in fact, stolen. They're part of the haul from the looting that has become routine after government victories in Syria's seven-year civil war. Government-friendly militiamen, in many cases, strip vanquished rebel bastions of anything not destroyed by airstrikes, artillery and close-quarters urban fighting.

So prevalent is the looting that the word tafeesh, which means "furniturization," has gained a new definition: to steal furniture.

Markets such as the one in Jaramana, a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, have sprung up over the years near war-torn areas such as Aleppo,