Bashila بشيلا

Bashila (بشيلا) is a small Byzantine site in the southern portion of Jebel al-Zawiyeh (جبل الزاوية). The site has a particularly large and well preserved villa enclosed by a wall, along with several other smaller villas to the south. It does not appear that there was a church at this site, but it is within walking distance of several other settlements. While not worthwhile visiting on its own, the site can easily be combined with a trip to the more substantial sites of al-Bara (البارة), Serjilla (سرجلا) and Shinshirah (شنشراح).

 

Getting There: Like most sites in the Jebel al-Zawiyeh (جبل الزاوية) region, Bashila (بشيلا) can be approached either from the south via Maarat al-Naaman (معرة النعمان) and Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎), or from the north via Ariha (آريحا) and al-Bara (البارة).

To approach Bashila (بشيلا) from the south, first travel to Maarat al-Naaman (معرة النعمان), which has frequent microbus connections with Aleppo (حلب). That trip takes about forty five minutes. Maarat al-Naaman (معرة النعمان) also has microbus connections with Hama (حماة) and Idleb (إدلب), but these are less frequent. From Maarat al-Naaman (معرة النعمان), the next step is to find a microbus to the town of Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎), about ten kilometers to the southwest. From Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎), a road heads north towards al-Bara (البارة), one of the main sites in the region. There is no regular public transportation on this road, so you’ll either need to hire a driver in Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎) or walk the remaining distance. The dirt road to Bashila (بشيلا) is about five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎), on the left side. Follow this dirt road a little over one kilometer to the site.

Alternatively, regular microbuses also travel from Aleppo (حلب) to Ariha (آريحا), a roughly thirty minute trip. From Ariha (آريحا) there are very infrequent microbuses to the town of al-Bara (البارة), which is also home to one of the most important archaeological sites in the region. Bashila (بشيلا) is about three kilometers south of al-Bara (البارة), on the west side of the road to Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎). Once again, there is no regular public transportation on this road, so you’ll either need to hire a driver in al-Bara (البارة) or walk the remaining distance. The dirt road to Bashila (بشيلا) is about five kilometers north of Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎), on the left side. Follow this dirt road a little over one kilometer to the site.

Coordinates: 35°39’19.68″N / 36°31’34.92″E

Transliteration Variants: Bishila, Basheila, Bisheila, Beshila, Besheila

Rating: 4 / 10