Batrasa بترسا

Batrasa (بترسا) is an interesting site with several large Byzantine-era villas in the Jebel al-Zawiyeh (جبل الزاوية) region. The ruins are scattered over a fairly large area between olive groves and wild vegetation. While a minor site, it is located in close proximity to al-Bara (البارة) and Serjilla (سرجلا), and could easily be combined with a visit to those more significant sites. Allow thirty minutes to an hour to fully explore.

 

Getting There: Like most sites in the Jebel al-Zawiyeh (جبل الزاوية) region, Batrasa (بترسا) 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 Batrasa (بترسا) 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. Batrasa (بترسا) is on the west side of this road, about five and a half kilometers north of Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎).

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. Batrasa (بترسا) is about two and a half kilometers south of al-Bara (البارة), on the west side of the road to Kafr Nabl (كفر نبل‎) and just beyond the site of Majliya (مجليا). 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.

Coordinates: 35°39’56.15″N / 36°32’38.82″E

Transliteration Variants: Betrasa, Bitrasa

Rating: 4 / 10