Located in the northwest corner of the old city, the Damascus Citadel (قلعة دمشق) was first fortified under Turkmen warlord Aziz Bin Awaq al-Khawarzami (ازيز بن أوق الخوارزمي) in 1076. It was not completed during his reign, but under subsequent ruler Abu Said Taj al-Dawleh Tatash al-Seljuqi (أبو سعيد تاج الدولة تتش السلجوقي). The citadel was expanded and modified several times in the following centuries, …
The old city of Damascus (دمشق) was once surrounded by extensive fortifications that included walls, towers, and gates in addition to the more imposing Damascus Citadel (قلعة دمشق). Much of these defenses survive intact, often concealed within markets and incorporated into residential buildings. While the city’s fortifications were originally constructed during the Roman period, what remains today largely dates to Seljuq and Ayyubid era reconstructions. …
One of the most incredible fortifications in Syria, and the whole of the Middle East, is the magnificent Aleppo Citadel (قلعة حلب). Located on a naturally formed hill at the center of the old city, the site has been in use since at least the 3rd millennium BCE. It was referenced in cuneiform tablets from Ebla (ايبلا) and Mari (ماري), and a recently excavated temple …
Sheikh Suleiman (شيخ سليمان) is one of the more impressive the Byzantine-era sites in the western countryside of Aleppo (حلب). Located in a relatively fertile patch of land in Jebel Samaan (جبل سمعان), the surviving ruins are surrounded by trees and other vegetation. The natural scene provides the site with additional charm, though it is being threatened by a slowly encroaching modern village. There are …
Burj Heidar (برج حيدر) is a Kurdish village to the east of Qalaat Samaan (قلعة سمعان). The site was settled at least as early as 298 AD, before the Roman empire officially adopted Christianity (in 324 AD), and was known as Kaprokera. Most of the surviving remains date from the Byzantine period, including the tower in the center of the village, from which its modern …
Banastur (بنستور) is a Byzantine-era site on the eastern edge of Jebel Samaan (جبل سمعان). This small settlement has only a few structures, the most noteworthy of which is a tower that survives in a fairly good state of preservation. Archaeologist Howard Crosby Butler speculated that the tower was actually a residential building, rather than one of the monastic retreats that were so common to …
Jeradeh (جرادة) was a fairly extensive Byzantine settlement on the eastern edge of Jebel Riha (جبل ريحا), the ruins today spread throughout a modern village. Given its proximity to the desert to the east, which was beyond Byzantine control, the town appears to have been heavily fortified in comparison to other settlements located further west. The most interesting of the remains is the six-story watchtower which …
The Byzantine site of Sarfud (صرفود) is spread out over rocky hills north of the road linking the town of Sarmada (سرمدا) with Kafr Darian (كفر دلريان) at the base of Jebel Barisha (جبل باريشا). While the remains at the top of the hill (southern portion of the site) are badly ruined, there are several isolated towers to the northern end of the settlement that are of interest. …
Serjableh (سرجبله) is an extensive Byzantine site that includes the remains of an impressive monastic tower and at least three churches. At the northern end of the site is a particularly well preserved monastic tower, one of the largest in the limestone massif. Immediately south of the tower are the remains of several villas in varying states of preservation, along with a moderately well preserved …
Burj al-Sebi (برج الصبي) is a single Crusader tower which now overlooks the main coastal highway. It is located on the southern edge of the town of Banias (بانياس) and southwest of Qalaat al-Marqab (قلعة المرقب). Historically, Burj al-Sebi (برج الصبي) protected access to the port and coastal route of Qalaat al-Marqab (قلعة المرقب). It is about 15 square meters and has two floors of accommodation and a basement, and …
