Places

Scene of the Battle of Qadesh, 13th century BC. Little of historic interest remains on the mound now occupied by the modern village but the visitor will gain an appreciation of the sequence of events that led to the historic clash between Egyptian and Hittite forces in the thirteenth century BC. The outcome of the […]

The inner reaches of the Syrian coastal Mountains (Jebel Ansariye) are studded with castles built in inaccessible locations by the Ismaelis. During the Crusader period, this sect — an offshoot from Shi`ite Islam — built up their presence in these mountains to escape pressures from the orthodox Sunni powers of the Syrian interior, on the […]

Once entirely disconnected from the outside world due to its remote location and lack of roads, this site is now accessible by a sealed route right up to the castle entrance. The location, however, remains beautifully poised on its ridge at a point where three ravines meet in largely untamed and forested country. كانت هذه […]

Visitors to Apamea often don’t spare the time to visit the prominent remains of the largely Ayyubid (late eleventh century onwards) fortifications lying above the modern town of Qalaat Mudiq. This is virtually the last remaining fortified site in Syria where the villagers still live within the castle walls, though most of the town these […]

Built to protect the Crusader route between Tortosa (Tartus and Tripoli (to the south, in modern Lebanon) from attack originating in the Muslim interior through the Homs Gap, Areimeh was built before 1149 and after 1177 entrusted to the  Templars based in Tartus. The castle is divided between three enclosures separated by rock-cut ditches or […]

This site once housed a Byzantine fort (Argyrokastron) during the tenth/eleventh century Byzantine re-occupation of the Syrian coast. Later in the eleventh century it became an Arab fortification (hence the modern name, referring to a traditional southern Arabian tribal grouping, the Bani Qahtan). Initially taken by Tancred in the opening years of the Crusader period […]

While its deep grey basalt stone often conveys a grim and formidable impression, a visit to the castle on its breathtaking site overlooking the Mediterranean can often provide a different experience when the vegetation and wildflowers soften the scene. High on its perch where the mountains descend precipitately  into the sea, Marqab occupies a key position […]

This Islamic fortification — largely the work of the twelfth century sponsored by the rulers of Aleppo — lies 102 kms northeast of Aleppo on the Euphrates River. These photos convey some essential features of the Islamic style of fortification namely the tightly-organised structure based on a circular plan with a central corridor. Entrance is […]

This isolated outpost on the middle stretch of the Euphrates was intended to protect the desert route from invaders originating in the east. An Ayyubid project, it remained in use in Mamluk and Ottoman times but the ravages of invasions (notably Mongol) and the effect of the harsh climate have left their mark on the […]

Sited in an extraordinarily dramatic location, deep in the inner recesses of the Jebal Ansariye, the Castle known to the Crusaders as the Château de Saône is today labelled the Castle of Saladin. The modern name honours the extraordinary achievement of Saladin in taking the castle in 1188, shortly after his great victory at the […]

This Ayyubid fortified post looks down over the site of Palmyra and provides a wonderful vantage-point over the classical ruins, especially at sunrise or sunset. The castle was built as part of the Ayyubid efforts to protect the desert route between the Euphrates and Damascus, with further improvements under the early Mamluks. The castle was […]

An almost perfectly preserved example of a fortified Crusader-era tower, once part of the outer defences of the Hospitaller fortress at Tortosa (Tartus). تعتبر هذه القلعة نموذجاً شبه كامل لعمارة الأبراج المحصنة في الفترة الصليبية، وقد كانت فيما مضى جزءاً من نقاط الدفاع الخارجية عن تحصينات الفرسان الاوسبتاليين في طرطوس. Location map —     […]

One of the most intact examples of church architecture in the Limestone Massif area, the Qalb Lozeh basilica is also a bold attempt at experimentation in Byzantine construction history. Instead of dividing the nave from the side aisles by rows of columns, the builders used sweeping transverse arches resting on piers, allowing for a freer […]

This charming town nestled into the northwestern slopes of the Jebel Hauran contains many reminders of its rich ancient past. The main attraction — known to early European visitors as the ‘Seraya’ due to its resemblance to a ‘palace’ of a ruler — is more accurately a complex mixture of two separate Roman basilica structures […]

This small town on the eastern flanks of the Anti-Lebanon was not noted for its historic remains until recently. Two of its important Christian structures have now been restored or refurbished. The Great Mosque, though considerably remodelled over the centuries, still retains the west wall of the Byzantine Church of St Nicholas which stood on […]

Only a few fragments of the original structure remain at this site—the core of a Byzantine tower incorporated into the Umayyad structure and some gateposts of the entrances. To get some impression of the remains, more can be gained from a visit to the National Museum in Damascus, where the reconstructed great gateway and many […]

This fascinating complex, an example of the early Umayyad attempts to tame the Syrian interior and introduce irrigated agriculture to the steppe, lies almost 100 kms east of Palmyra. Two striking enclosures provided a complex to be used by the Caliph in his transit between Iraq and Syria. They also sheltered caravan traffic, brought a […]

Qasr Ibn Wardan today lies in fairly marginal country on the edge of the Syrian Steppe. Once it housed a Byzantine mansion house / church complex typical of such establishments intended both to exploit the area’s agricultural potential and to ensure its protection. The mansion house or ‘palace’ is dated by inscription to AD 564, […]

This Bronze Age city was originally dug in the 1920s, during the French Mandate period. More recent excavations by several Syrian and European teams have revealed a city with the attributes of a rich kingdom, as revealed by the remains of extensive Middle / Late Bronze Age palace complexes including an intact royal grave. Qatna […]

This small site, scattered between houses of a modern village, contains a surprising variety of remains including Roman funeral reliefs and rock-cut tombs, a two-column funeral monument and a tower. تنتشر البقايا الأثرية من العصر الروماني في هذا الموقع بين بيوت القرية الحديثة، وتتضمن مجموعات متنوعة وفخمة من المنحوتات الجنائزية والمدافن المحفورة بالصخر، إضافة إلى […]

Little remains of the ancient Roman and Byzantine town, once protecting an important cross-roads on the communications route between Antioch and the Syrian Steppe. The small town of al-`iss (العيسى) lies under the mountain today topped by the tomb of an Islamic holy man. The classical-era fortress covered the smaller acropolis hill southwest of the […]