754 Items
St. Nicholas/Gemiler Island 
Gemiler Island is dotted with several late antique church's from the 4th-6th century AD and is believed to have been the original burial site of St Nicholas, the 4th century AD Bishop of Myra. A covered processional walkway leads to the uppermost and largest church on the island which is cut into the summit of the hill. Fresco's and writing are still visible on portions of one of the lower churches. By the sea, facing the mainland and partially submerged, lie the remains of relatively small structures cut into the rock, likely houses and or shops. Large cisterns are also to be found, presumably to provide fresh water to the permanent monastic population that would have occupied the island and to thirsty pilgrims to the site.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Byzantine, C4th-C5th, C5th-C6th, Church, St. Nicholas
Citadel and Praetorium, Halabiyeh/Zenobia
The hill on which Halabiyeh's citadel rests is presumably the main reason for Halabiyeh's construction. The hill dominates the western bank of the Euphrates at this point where the river valley is significantly narrowed between two plateau's, one on the western side of the river and the other on the east.
Type: Architecture
Palmyra Temple of Bel
The Temple of Bel as it appears today dates from the C1st-C2nd AD, but stands on a much older cult site near the date palm grove and Eqfa spring that enabled the foundation of a city in the middle of the Syrian desert. Later on the cella of the temple was adapted for use as a Christian church and faint traces of frescoes are still visible on the interior walls. It was also fortified in the middle ages and there was a village within the walls of the compound until the population was removed by the French authorities during their rule of Syria in the 1920s.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Bel, C1st-C2nd, Church, Fresco, Islam, Medieval, Palmyra, Roman, Sculpture, Syria, Tadmor, Temple
Basilica Cistern, Istanbul
The construction of the vast Basilica Cistern is credited to the Emperor Justinian during the first half of the 6th century AD. The cistern was constructed using the remains of ruined buildings and pagan temples, hence why there is so much variation in the columns and the capitals found in the cistern. Two large Medusa head carvings provide the bases of two columns in the cisterns' north-west corner.
Type: Architecture
Theodosian Walls of Constantinople, Istanbul
Type: Architecture
The Galilee Boat, Galilee
In 1986 during a particularly dry period along the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, the Galilee Boat, also termed the Jesus Boat, was discovered lying in the newly exposed lake-bed. A major salvage operation soon began to uncover, protect and preserve the boat. It measures 8m in length and is over 2m wide and it once had a mast and a sail. The boat was made from a variety of different woods (10+) and radiocarbon analysis has dated the vessel to the 1st Century CE. It informs our understanding of fishing and transportation crafts that served the Sea of Galilee during this particularly early period. Did Jesus and His Disciples use a similar vessel?
Type: Museum Exhibit
Tags: Boat, C1st, C20th, Galilee, Israel, Wood
Mount of Beatitudes, Galilee
During Christ’s teachings and miracles in and around the Sea of Galilee, He delivered a collection of teachings that is commonly termed the Sermon on the Mount. This has come to represent the most important piece of teachings from Him and includes the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer. They were written in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5-7. The mountainside on which it took place is known as Mount of the Beatitudes and was said to overlook the Sea of Galilee. Since the 4th Century, a mountainside just north-east of Tabgha has been venerated as the place of the Sermon and a church was built on the site. Very little of this original structure remains and it is difficult to gain access to. In the 20th Century, a new church was built near to the 4th Century church.
Type: Architecture
Tags: C20th, C4th-C5th, Christ, Christian, Galilee, Holy Site, Israel, Mountain, Pilgrimage, Sermon on the Mount, The Apostles
Fortifications, Zalabiyeh
The fortification of Zalabiyeh is recorded by Procopius who attributes the building of the defences to Justinian's reign. As with much of Procopius' testimony this claim must not be accepted out of hand. The remains of the defences show evidence of at least two major phases of building. The oldest phase is composed of ashlar faced walls with a rubble and concrete core, the later phase is made up of ashlars throughout. The later phase appears to have been only present in some of the towers and is certainly part of a renovation of the defences where some of the older towers needing replacing. These two different wall building techniques are mirrored across the river at the fortifications of Halabiyeh, Zalabiyeh's sister site. I have proposed that the site was not originally fortified by Justinian but was rather repaired during his reign and had older origins, potentially during the reign of Anastasius.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Anastasius, Citadel, Defensive Network, Deir ez Zor, Euphrates, Fortifications, Fortress, Halabiyeh, Justinian, Late Antique, Procopius, Syria, Zalabiyeh
Resafa Basilica
This basilica has been known as the 'Basilica of the Holy Cross' in the past, but that attribution has now been discredited. After the partition of the city in the aftermath of the Arab expansion, which disrupted the local Arab federation, the relics of the saint (Sergius) were translated to the basilica and it became the focal point of his cult.
Type: Architecture
Resafa Cisterns
Located in the Syrian desert approximately 25 kilometres south of the River Euphrates, Resafa depended on capturing seasonal rainwater and irrigation systems for its water. This water was then stored in large cisterns until needed.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Archaeology, Architecture, Byzantine, Cistern, Euphrates, Resafa, Roman, Sergiupolis, Syria, Water