Dead Cities
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The Dead Cities (Template:Langx) or Forgotten Cities (Template:Langx) are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages grouped in eight archaeological parks situated in north-western Syria provide an insight into rural life in Late Antiquity and during the Byzantine period. Most of the villages, which date from the 1st to 7th centuries, were abandoned between the 8th and 10th centuries. The settlements feature the well-preserved architectural remains of buildings such as dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns and bathhouses. Important dead cities include the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites, Dahis, Serjilla, Ruweiha and al Bara.
The Dead Cities are situated in an elevated area of limestone known as Limestone Massif. These ancient settlements cover an area Script error: No such module "convert". wide and some Script error: No such module "convert". long.[1] The Massif includes three groups of highlands: the first is the northern group of Mount Simeon and Mount Kurd; the second middle group is the group of Harim Mountains; the third southern group is the group of Zawiya Mountain.
History
Chris Wickham, in the authoritative survey of the post-Roman world, "Framing the Early Middle Ages" (2006) argues that these were settlements of prosperous peasants which have few or no specifically urban features. The impressive remains of domestic architecture are the result of the prosperity of peasants who benefited from a strong international trade in olive oil at the end of Antiquity.
Another argument is that these were prosperous cities that flourished because they were located along major trade routes in the Byzantine Empire, and not merely prosperous peasant settlements. After conquest by the Arabs, the trade routes changed, and as a result, these towns lost the majority of the business which fostered their economies. On this view, settlers eventually abandoned their towns and headed for other cities that were flourishing under the Arabs and the Umayyads as increasing urbanisation took its toll.
The ancient villages of the Dead Cities illustrate the transition from the ancient pagan world of the Roman Empire to Byzantine Christianity.
The Dead Cites were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, under the name of "Ancient Villages of Northern Syria".[2] The Dead Cities were the 1348th site to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. The Dead Cities have been on the Endangered UNESCO list since 2013, meaning the site was not endangered for only two years.
Before the Syrian Civil War most sites had become easily accessible, the majority of the dead cities were well-preserved and tourists could access the sites quite freely, though some of the Dead Cities are quite difficult to reach without a guide (there is a guidebook by Abdallah Hadjar with a detailed map that is useful for finding the lesser known sites; The Church of St Simeon Stylites and Other Archaeological Sites in the Mountains of Simeon and Halaqa. However, the Syrian Civil War has caused Syrian refugees to flee to these sites in hopes of finding shelter.[3] In various areas, refugees have repurposed the stone ruins located on these sites to rebuild their livelihoods.[4]
Archeological sites
Dead cities and archeological sites in Limestone Massif include Church of Saint Simeon Stylites, Serjilla, Bara, Basufan, Barisha, Qalb Loze, Barad, Cyrrhus, Turmanin, Banabil, Kafr Aruq, Kafr Dariyan, Babuline, Hazarin, Jarada, Maghara, Shinan, Farkya, Ein Laruz, Ebla, Deir Sunbul, Al-Dana, Sarmada and Al-Dana.[5][6]
Mount Simeon, Mount Kurd and Mount Ḥalqa
| Name |
Image | Coordinates | Governorate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barad (Template:Langx) |
File:Brad Northern Basilica.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | An ancient settlement, located Script error: No such module "convert". west of Aleppo, has many old basilicas; for example, the Saint Julianus Maronite monastery (399-402 AD) where the shrine of Saint Maron is located, and a basilica at the northern part of the village built in 561. |
| Barjaka or Burj Suleiman village (Template:Langx) |
File:Barjakah chapel Aleppo.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo. The site has remnants of an old hermit tower and a well-preserved chapel from the 6th century. |
| Basufan (Template:Langx) |
File:Basufan Church of St. Phocas - Apse and arch of Prothesis - Corinthian columns with spiral fluting and wind blown capital. Kurdish man seated in foreground.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | |
| Batuta (Template:Langx) |
File:Church, Batuta (باطوطة), Syria - West facade and triumphal arch, from the northwest - PHBZ024 2016 6183 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Village founded in the 4th century CE. By the 6th century, it had two churches and more than twelve other stone buildings. |
| Baziher (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Benastur Monastery (Template:Langx) |
File:Banastur (بنستور), Syria - Tower, looking east - PHBZ024 2016 7847 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | |
| Churches of Sheikh Suleiman village (Template:Langx) |
File:Church of the Virgin, Sheikh Suleiman (شيخ سليمان), Syria - View from the southwest - PHBZ024 2016 6587 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". west of Aleppo, is notable for its three ancient churches: a ruined church located at the centre of the village, a well-preserved southern basilica which was built in 602, and the Church of the Virgin Mary which belongs to the late fifth century and is considered one of the most beautiful churches in northern Syria.[7] There is a hermit tower in the northern side of the village. |
| Church of Saint Simeon Stylites (Deir Semaan) (Template:Langx) |
File:Church of Saint Simeon Stylites 17.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | One of the most celebrated ecclesiastical monuments in Syria and among the oldest standing Christian churches in the world. It is located about Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo. |
| Cyrrhus (Template:Langx) |
File:Nebi HuriNorth.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | An ancient city located Script error: No such module "convert". north of Aleppo, is the site of Saints Cosmas and Damian Church (commonly known as Nabi Houri church), as well as a Roman amphitheatre and two old Roman bridges. |
| Deir Amman churches (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Deir Mishmish Church (Template:Langx) |
File:Church, Deir Mishmish (دير مشمش), Syria - View from the south - PHBZ024 2016 6465 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | |
| Deir Turmanin (Template:Langx) |
File:Church of Turmanin.png | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | The ruins of the Byzantine monastery of Deir Turmanin are built around a paved courtyard containing two cisterns, a sarcophagus and several tombs. They include a building that housed the monks' dormitories, and the large basilica built around 480 AD. |
| Fafertin Church (Template:Langx) |
File:Church, Fafertin (فافرتين), Syria - View of sanctuary apse with diaconicon to the north - PHBZ024 2016 1731 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | A half-ruined Late Roman basilica dates to 372 AD; it is located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo. According to the Aleppine historian Abdallah Hajjar, Fafertin Basilica is among the oldest dated churches in the world.[8] |
| Kafr Kira settlement in Burj Heidar village (Template:Langx) |
West Church, Burj Haidar (برج حيدر), Syria - Nave colonnades, view from southwest | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo, has many half-ruined Christian structures dating back to the fourth and sixth centuries. |
| Kafr Lab (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Kafr Lusein (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Kafr Nabu (Template:Langx) |
File:Inn, Kafr Nabo (كفر نابو), Syria - South facade from the southeast - PHBZ024 2016 8529 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". west of Aleppo, is an Assyrian settlement of the ninth century BC and the site of a Roman temple which was converted into a church. There are also well-preserved residential buildings from the fifth and sixth centuries. |
| Kalota Castle and churches (Template:Langx) |
East Church, Kalota, Syria - Nave looking east | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located 20 km northwest of Aleppo. The castle was originally built as a Roman temple during the 2nd century AD. After converting to Christianity, the temple was turned into a basilica within the 5th century.[9] As a result of the wars between the Hamadanids and the Byzantine Empire, the church was turned into a castle during the 10th century.[10] There are two well-preserved churches near the castle: the eastern church built in 492 and the western church of the 6th century. |
| Kharab Shams Basilica (Template:Langx) |
File:Kharab Shams Basilica, Dead Cities region, NW Syria.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | One of the oldest best-preserved Christian structures in the Levant dates to the fourth century CE.[11] The Byzantine church is located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo. |
| Kimar, near Basuta village (Template:Langx) |
East Church, Kimar, Syria - View of apse from west | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo, is a fifth-century CE village of the Late Roman and Byzantine eras; it has many well-preserved churches, towers and old water cisterns. |
| Mushabbak Basilica (Template:Langx) |
File:Mushabbak Basilica Aleppo5.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | A well-preserved church from the second half of the fifth century (around 470), is located Script error: No such module "convert". west of Aleppo, near the town of Daret A'zzeh. |
| Qatura (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Refade (Template:Langx) |
File:Refade,villageE.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Sargible (Template:Langx) |
File:Bema Church, Sergible (سرجبلا), Syria - West façade - PHBZ024 2016 4755 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Set al-Roum (Template:Langx) |
File:Sitt er-Rum,E.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | |
| Sheikh Barakat (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | ||
| Sinkhar historic settlement (Template:Langx) |
File:Church and Chapel, Sinhar (سنهار), Syria - West facade of chapel - PHBZ024 2016 6704 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Locally known as Simkhar, is located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo in an isolated valley. The village was inhabited between the second and seventh centuries. Its Basilica is among the oldest churches in Syria and dates back to the fourth century, while the nearby chapel is sixth century. |
| Sugane village (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo, is home to two half-ruined churches and old water cisterns. | |
| Surqaniya village (Template:Langx) |
6th c. CE Church, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - South and west façades | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | Located Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Aleppo, preserves the remains of an old Byzantine settlement with a half-ruined sixth-century chapel. |
| Taladah Church and Monastery (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Taqla (Template:Langx) |
File:Church, Takleh (تقلا), Syria - West façade - PHBZ024 2016 1742 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo | |
| Zarzita (Template:Langx) |
Tower and porch, Zarzita (زرزيتا), Syria - View from southwest | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Aleppo |
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Harim Mountains (Mount Bārīshā and Mount A'lā)
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Mount Zāwiya
| Name |
Image | Coordinates | Governorate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| al-Dana (Template:Langx) |
File:Pyramidal roofed tomb, Dana (South) (الدانا الجنوبية), Syria - East façade - PHBZ024 2016 3942 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | A modern village on far eastern edge of Jebel al-Zawiyeh and Jebel Riha. |
| Babuline (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Bara (Template:Langx) |
File:SYRIE 183.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Bashila (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Batrasa (Template:Langx) |
File:Btirsa2.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Bauda (Template:Langx) |
File:BaudaS,pyramidtomb.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | Located on the side of the road between the two major sites of Bara and Serjilla. |
| Deir Sunbul (Template:Langx) |
File:Deir Sunbul (دير سنبل), Syria - Distant view of structures - PHBZ024 2016 7129 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Dellozeh (Template:Langx) |
File:Dwelling, Dalloza (دللوزة), Syria - East Facade - PHBZ024 2016 7039 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Ebla (Template:Langx) |
File:HPIM3078 1.JPG | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | One of the earliest kingdoms in Syria. Its remains constitute a tell located about 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Aleppo near the village of Mardikh. |
| Ein Laruz (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Farkya (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Hazarin (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Jarada (Template:Langx) |
File:Jerada,houseW.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Maghara (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Majliya (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Mozra (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Qasr al-Banat (Template:Langx) |
File:Qasr al-Banat, Dana (South) (الدانا الجنوبية), Syria - View from southeast - PHBZ024 2016 3903 - Dumbarton Oaks.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Rabiaa (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Ruweiha (Template:Langx) |
File:Ruweiha,Basilika-1.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Serjilla (Template:Langx) |
File:Sejilla-ruins.jpg | Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | |
| Shinan (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Shinshirah (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib | ||
| Wadi Martahun (Template:Langx) |
Script error: No such module "Coordinates". | Idlib |
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See also
References
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- ↑ Burns, Ross., Monuments of Syria: An Historical Guide, p. 109
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External links
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- Ancient Villages of Northern Syria, are inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list, in 2011 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2013.
- Pictures of four dead cities
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