754 Items
Sarcophagus of Mar Elian 
The Byzantine sarcophagus believed to hold the remains of Mar Elian (St. Julian) and is covered with pilgrimage graffiti believed to date back to at least the C9th. The form of the sarcophagus is late antique and dates from the C5th-C8th. These images show the tomb before it was cleaned by excavators and damage to the grave, reputedly caused by villagers in the 1920s, is clearly visible. It also shows the sarcophagus before its coverings were removed with the votive offerings placed at the shrine by the faithful and the green satin covering given by local Muslims denoting the tomb of a holy man in their tradition.
Type: Sculpture
Tags: Archaeology, Church, Dayr Mar Elian, Dayr Mar Elian Archaeological Project, Mar Elian, Mar Elian esh-Sharqi, Monastery, Qaryatayn, Sarcophagus, Shrine, Syria, Syriac, Syriac Inscription, Tomb
View over Qaryatayn looking east from the neighbouring hills
This view eastwards over Qaryatayn shows the wadi (seasonal watercourse) in the foreground with Dayr Mar Elian in the middle and the modern settlement in the background. The pictures face eastwards in the direction of Palmyra.
Type: Landscape
Tags: Dayr Mar Elian, Dayr Mar Elian Archaeological Project, Desert, Landscape, Mar Elian, Mar Elian esh-Sharqi, Monastery, Qaryatayn, Syria
Batir
The C5th church is relatively large with at least one large and elaborate sarcophagus still extant nearby. As at Barish North it has a flat east end, which is relatively unusual in this region. Only the south wall is extensively damaged, with the other three still quite well preserved and elements of the bema still visible in the nave.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Barish North, Batir, Bema, C5th, Church, Jebel Il'Ala, Limestone Massif, Syria
Barish North
The church is small and its flat east end abuts the Qalb Lozeh-Harim road. The bema is in situ, and as at Kimar has notches suggesting that a wooden structure was in place above the stone base of the bema. There are also reliquaries still in place on the altar steps. The church is very small and its unsophisticated plan and execution led Tchalenko to date it to the late C6th-early C7th.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Barish North, Bema, C6th-C7th, Church, Jebel Il'Ala, Kimar, Limestone Massif, Syria
Bahio
The C5th church at Bahio has a bema and, although overgrown had most of the west wall and a substantial part of the apse still standing. The site is surrounded by olive groves and the number of large olive presses in the late antique settlement demonstrates the antiquity of olive cultivation in the region.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Bahio, Bema, C5th, Church, Jebel Il'Ala, Limestone Massif, Syria
Babisqa
The church dated 390-407/8 at Babisqa is the larger of the two churches on the village and possesses a bema. The apse and the west wall were well preserved when the site was visited, with the north and south sides damaged but with the stones still in situ.
Type: Architecture
Tags: 390-407/8, Architecture, Babisqa, Bema, Church, Jebel Barisha, Limestone Massif, Syria
Ba'udeh
The church at Ba'udeh has been dated to 392/3 by inscriptions and the village appears to have been very wealthy in late antiquity. The fallen masonry obscures the church interior, although the presence of notched pillars suggests that it had a nave barrier, as noted at other sites. Tchalenko recorded a Greek-style ambon - a pulpit that would have held one person - rather than the bema that was more common in this region of Syria.
Type: Architecture
Tags: 392/3, Ambon, Architecture, Ba'udeh, Bema, Church, Jebel Barisha, Kafar Daret 'Azzeh, Kfellusin, Kharab Shams, Limestone Massif, Syria
Kafar Hawwar
At the time of the visit there were no roads within about 30 minutes walk of this village. The church is largely rubble with only the sides of the apse arch still standing, with the destruction almost certainly caused my earthquakes. The bema was still visible and the site was undisturbed. Tchalenko could not securely date the site through survey and noted both C4th and C6th elements in the church.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Bema, C4th, C6th, Church, Jebel Halaqa, Kafar Hawwar, Limestone Massif, Syria
Kfellusin Tower
This is a similar tower to that at nearby Sergibleh and again would have served as both a dwelling for several families and a place of refuge for villagers at a time of attack.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Jebel Halaqa, Kfellusin, Late Antique, Limestone Massif, Sergibleh, Syria, Tower
Kfellusin South Church
As this church stands to the south of the modern village it has not been as badly damaged as the north church and still has most of its walls attached, with only the west wall missing.
Type: Architecture
Tags: Architecture, Church, Jebel Halaqa, Kfellusin, Late Antique, Limestone Massif, Syria