Dead Cities - Archeological Sites

Archeological Sites

Dead cities and archeological sites in Mount Simeon and Mount Kurd near Aleppo include:

Kalota Castle and churches, located 20 km northwest of Aleppo. The castle was originally built as a Roman temple during the 2nd century AD. After converting to Christianity, the temple was turned into a basilica within the 5th century. As a result of the wars between the Hamadanids and the Byzantine Empire, the church was turned into a castle during the 10th century. There are two well-preserved churches near the castle: the eastern church built in 492 and the western church of the 6th century.

Kharab Shams Basilica, one of the oldest best-preserved Christian structures in the Levant dates to the fourth century CE. The Byzantine church is located 21 km (13 mi) northwest of Aleppo.
Fafertin Church, a half-ruined Late Roman basilica dates to 372 AD; it is located 22 km (14 mi) northwest of Aleppo. According to the Aleppine historian Abdallah Hajjar, Fafertin Basilica is among the oldest dated churches in the world.
Surqanya village, located 23 km (14 mi) northwest of Aleppo, preserves the remains of an old Byzantine settlement with a half-ruined sixth century chapel.
Kafr Kira settlement in Burj Heidar village, located 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Aleppo,has many half-ruined Christian structures dating back to the fourth and sixth centuries.
Sinhar historic settlement, locally known as Simkhar,is located 24 km (15 mi) northwest of Aleppo in an isolated valley. The village was inhabited between the second and seventh centuries. Its Basilica is among the oldest churches in Syria and dates back to the fourth century, while the nearby chapel is sixth century.

Mushabbak Basilica, a well-preserved church from the second half of the fifth century (around 470), is located 25 km (16 mi) west of Aleppo, near the town of Daret A'zzeh.
Barjaka or Burj Suleiman village is located 26 km (16 mi) northwest of Aleppo. The site has remnants of an old hermit tower and a well-preserved chapel from the 6th century.
Churches of Sheikh Suleiman village, located 28 km (17 mi) west of Aleppo, is notable for its three ancient churches: a ruined church located at the centre of the village, a well-preserved southern basilica which was built in 602, and the Church of the Virgin Mary which belongs to the late fifth century and is considered one of the most beautiful churches in northern Syria. There is a hermit tower in the northern side of the village.
Kafr Nabo settlement, located 29 km (18 mi) west of Aleppo,is an Assyrian settlement of the ninth century BC and the site of an Roman temple which was converted into a church. There are also well-preserved residential buildings from the fifth and sixth centuries.
Barad, an ancient settlement, located 32 km (20 mi) west of Aleppo, has many old basilicas; for example, the Saint Julianus Maronite monastery (399-402 AD) where the shrine of Saint Maron is located, and a basilica at the northern part of the village built in 561.
Kimar settlement near Basuta village, located 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Aleppo, is a fifth century CE village of the Late Roman and Byzantine eras; it has many well-preserved churches, towers and old water cisterns.

Church of Saint Simeon Stylites (Deir Semaan), is one of the most celebrated ecclesiastical monuments in Syria and among the oldest standing Christian churches in the world.It is located about 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Aleppo.
Sugane village, located 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Aleppo, is home to two half-ruined churches and old water cisterns.
Ain Dara temple, an Iron Age Syro-Hittite temple dating between the tenth and eighth centuries BC, is 45 km (28 mi) northwest of Aleppo.
Bab Al-Hawa village, located 50 km (31 mi) west of Aleppo on the Turkish border, is the site of several fourth century churches and a well preserved historical gate from the sixth century AD.
Cyrrhus, an ancient city located 65 km (40 mi) north of Aleppo, is the site of Saints Cosmas and Damian Church (commonly known as Nabi Houri church), as well as a Roman amphitheatre and two old Roman bridges.

Many other sites and dead cities in the area are located at various distances around Aleppo and Idlib: Serjilla, Ebla, Bara, Qalb Loze Basilica, Baqirha Byzantine Church, Deir Mishmish Church, Benastur Monastery, Deir Amman churches, Sargible settlement, Tell A'de Church and Monastery and other settlements found in Jabal Halaqa region.