Inside the archaeological site in territory controlled by Islamic extremists - PHOTO

The site of biblical Carchemish was once fought over by the likes of the Babylonians and the Egyptians, but now it is the battleground of ISIS, the Assad regime and the Free Syrian Army.The city was lost for centuries but was rediscovered by British scholars in the 19th century and excavated by Lawrence of Arabia shortly before the First World War.Now, just metres from the front line, the historic town on the Turkish-Syrian border is set to open to the public.The archaeological site lies just 20 metres away from the border, with a 13ft high blast wall to be built to block the view, and the line of fire, to and from Syria.Carchemish, which lies between the modern towns of Karkamis and Jarablus, straddles the border between Turkey and Syria. The Syrian side has been excavated since 2011 but the Turkish side is cut off because of its dangerous location.The old Tel, or hill, in the middle of the town is a Turkish army look-out point and has been a military outpost for 5,000 years.Professor Nicolo Marchetti, the leader of the dig team from Bologna University, told the Telegraph: 'To be frank it's been a front line - over the border 20 metres away we see normal life and we also see these people [ISIS] coming and going.'We hear the shooting at the front in the distance and in September it was quite close to us - perhaps two kilometres away. But it's still very different from what's going on in Kobane.'Still, we have had no problem at all. We work in a military area. It is very well protected.' Bakudaily.Az