The Dead Cities are a series of ancient ghost towns and the great mystery is why the towns where abandoned. Through our hotel we arranged a day tour in a minibus for five of us: Steve and I, a couple from Switzerland, and a Japanese guy who is currently studying Arabic in Damascus. We visited the Dead Cities of Qatura, Ain Dara and Qala' At Samaan (or St. Simeon).
Qatura was from the Roman era and we were able to see Latin and Greek inscriptions. A few kids that live nearby came running to greet us and then sell us fossilized seashells. The fossils are lying around everywhere and it was quite contradictory to understand that this area was a sea at a certain point. Up on top of the hill that overlooked the temple we could see anti-air craft guns and rocket launchers.
Ain Dara was built a thousand years before Christ and was a Hittite Temple dedicated to the Goddess Ishtar.
Qala' At Samaan was definitely the most interesting of the ruins. The story behind this place is that of a peculiar individual, Simeon. As a young boy born in 392 AD, he opted for monastic life although that was insufficiently ascetic and decided to retreat to a cave where he lived under a self imposed severity regime. When people found out about about this, they started visiting him. Simeon greatly resented this invasion and built a 3 meter pillar so he couldn't be touched. Legend says that as his tolerance decreased he started building higher pillars. His last pillar was 18 meters high, in which he lived 40 years. He wore an iron collar around his neck that was linked to a railing to prevent him from falling while asleep in the middle of the night. Simeon preached on his pillar to thousands of pilgrims that went to see him, although he refused to talk to women and even his mother was not allowed to get close to the pillar.
We enjoyed our day walking over piles of rocks, finding ancient inscriptions and fossils, meeting the locals and spending time with our fellow travelers. It was time to continue traveling and we were anxious to be close to the Mediterranean again, so we headed over to Lattakia.
Gaby
Qatura was from the Roman era and we were able to see Latin and Greek inscriptions. A few kids that live nearby came running to greet us and then sell us fossilized seashells. The fossils are lying around everywhere and it was quite contradictory to understand that this area was a sea at a certain point. Up on top of the hill that overlooked the temple we could see anti-air craft guns and rocket launchers.
Ain Dara was built a thousand years before Christ and was a Hittite Temple dedicated to the Goddess Ishtar.
Qala' At Samaan was definitely the most interesting of the ruins. The story behind this place is that of a peculiar individual, Simeon. As a young boy born in 392 AD, he opted for monastic life although that was insufficiently ascetic and decided to retreat to a cave where he lived under a self imposed severity regime. When people found out about about this, they started visiting him. Simeon greatly resented this invasion and built a 3 meter pillar so he couldn't be touched. Legend says that as his tolerance decreased he started building higher pillars. His last pillar was 18 meters high, in which he lived 40 years. He wore an iron collar around his neck that was linked to a railing to prevent him from falling while asleep in the middle of the night. Simeon preached on his pillar to thousands of pilgrims that went to see him, although he refused to talk to women and even his mother was not allowed to get close to the pillar.
We enjoyed our day walking over piles of rocks, finding ancient inscriptions and fossils, meeting the locals and spending time with our fellow travelers. It was time to continue traveling and we were anxious to be close to the Mediterranean again, so we headed over to Lattakia.
Gaby
1 comment:
Is this from October 24? If so...
HAAAAAaaaaappy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday To You! Happy Birthday Dear Steverito, Happy Birthday To You!!! (Roor Roor - says Arthur, as I sing and Andy does a jig)
Love Christine, Andy and Arthur. Thinking of you!!!
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