Syria 2006

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Basilica of St Simeon - built in the latter part of the 5th century, the complex is dedicated to St Simeon Stylites The acanthus leaves on this column are windblown and less formal than is usual for a corinthian capital In the octagonal central courtyard, surrounded by four separate basilicas, are the remains of the pillar upon which
St Simeon lived for nearly four decades The churches were built around St Simeon's pillar a few years after his death in 459 AD The four churches form a cross around the central courtyard, an unusual design for its time
Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon
         
St Simeon moved onto his pillar to escape the increasing numbers of devotees who visited him.  He raised the height
of his pillar several times to escape their attention, but to no avail After his death, the cult of St Simeon grew and large numbers of pilgrims travelled to the site.  It became the largest
church in the world at that time The apse of the eastern basilica which was the one used for important ceremonies The remains of the monastery and cloister where pilgrims were housed The northern basilica
Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon
         
Amer shows us the font in the chapel The outside of the apse of the eastern basilica It was a lovely setting with wild flowers A general view over the complex An external view of the northern basilica
Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon
         
A mortuary chapel  with tombs carved out of the rock face The Baptistry The Basilica of St Simeon viewed from the Baptistry
The Basilica of St Simeon viewed from the Baptistry A street in Aleppo
Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Basilica of St Simeon Aleppo
         
A street in Aleppo Lunchtime in a restaurant in the old part of Aleppo The restaurant was in the Armenian quarter of the old city An Armenian church in Aleppo.  A memorial in this courtyard commemorates the
Armenian Genocide (though this is not it!) The altars were closed off with black curtains because of Lent
Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo
         
The Citadel of Aleppo - the entry bridge goes through this defensive tower to.... ....the monumental gateway of the Citadel.  This is the sole approach across the huge ditch surrounding the citadel The door of the citadel is set at right-angles to the route up, giving added security.  Entwined dragons decorate the
entrance The passageway follows five right-angled turns till it reaches the upper defences The central part of the citadel is a muddle of ruins
Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel
         
The surrounding city of Aleppo is flat . The citadel is built on a natural mound rising above the city A mosque within the citadel Looking across the ruins of the citadel to the city beyond View of the mosque from the Royal Palace The throne room of the Mamelukes
Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo - the Citadel
         
The throne room of the Mamelukes Syrian traffic Old style buildings near the Great Mosque The minaret of the Great Mosque - this is the earliest part of the mosque dating from approx 1090 The minaret viewed from the inside of the mosque
Aleppo - the Citadel Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo
         
The Great Mosque was built in the 12th century by Nur al-Din, about ten years later than the Great Mosque of
Damascus which it emulates The courtyard of the mosque It is a busy place The entrance to the prayer hall The women had to don grey gowns
Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo
         
We pose for the cameras Inside the prayer hall is a tomb which is said to contain the head of Zacharias, the
father of John the Baptist The mihrab of the Madrasa Halawiye dating from the 14th Century One of the suqs of Aleppo The suqs of Aleppo
Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo Aleppo
         
I bought a kilo of pistachios from this shop..... ...and olive soap from this shop The Al Assad Lake on the Euphrates.  It was created in the 1960s to provide hydro-electric power for Syria. However, the building of the Attaturk Dam on the Euphrates in Turkey in recent years has considerably reduced
the flow of water into Syria It is a sensitive area and is closely patrolled
Aleppo Aleppo Al Assad Lake Al Assad Lake Al Assad Lake
         
A statue of Hafez al-Assad, the president at the time the dam was built and a young soldier on patrol The walled city of Resafe is located in the desert, west of the Euphrates. A route from the Euphrates to Palmyra
passed through the city The northern gate of Resafe.  The location was occupied from the Assyrian period (8th Century BC) until it was
sacked by the Mongols in the 13th Century AD Looking back at the northern gate.  The city is mentioned in the Bible and the Roman Emperor,  Diocletian
maintained a fort here against the Persians in the 3rd Century AD The site is hardly excavated, the main work having been undertaken on the three most important churches of the city
Al Assad Lake Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe
         
The city is laid out in a huge rectangle with walls two storeys high, made of gypsum These would have sparkled in the sun and been visible for miles The walls are still buried up to first floor height This shows it more clearly This is a
Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe
         
This highly decorated arch is in one of the exedra which The huge columns of the church lie unbroken where they fell View of the centralised church Looking across Resafe at the Basilica of St Sergius and the ruins of other buildings One of three huge underground cisterns which ensured that the city could survive a long period of drought
Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe
         
The Basilica of St Sergius. Sergius was a christian Roman soldier who refused to sacrifice to Jupiter and was
martyred under Diocletian A cult to St Sergius developed and had followers throughout Syria who made a pilgrimage to Resafe The nave of the basilica, which was dedicated to the Holy Cross rather than to St Sergius.  The basilica was the
focal point of the pilgrimage The design was too ambitious and the sweeping arches had to be infilled for extra stability These arches have been reconstructed
Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe
         
Adjacent to the Basilica is a mosque which co-existed peacefully with the christian church - the remains of the
mihrab and mimber of the mosque Our picnic lunch at Resafe - what a feast! It was thoroughly enjoyed by all Joan, Caro and Penny A passing flock of sheep with their Bedouin shepherd
Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe Resafe
         
Our Bedouin encampment - there were many like this alongside the desert roads Wendy in our hotel in Deir ez-Zur which was very grand Wendy and Penny in a bedouin-style room in the hotel Wendy, Penny and I went for a walk in Deir ez-Zur in the morning
Resafe Bedouin encampment Deir ez-Zur Deir ez-Zur Deir ez-Zur
         
We met a delightful lady who spoke a little English. She had cooked for English oil workers in the past Typical Syrian techniques of building More sheep The walls of Dura Europos, a city founded in the 3rd Century AD after the death of Alexander the Great The Palmyra Gate of Dura Europos. The city was destroyed by the Persians in 256 AD after they had defeated the Romans
Deir ez-Zur Deir ez-Zur Deir ez-Zur Dura Europos Dura Europos
         
Very little remains of the city, though important finds from Dura Europos exist in museums throughout the world Fine Jewish wall paintings found in the Synagogue of the city are now in Damascus Museum Other paintings and artefacts are in the Louvre and Yale University I'm not sure what was going on here, but it looks very interesting!  
Dura Europos Dura Europos Dura Europos Dura Europos  
         
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