By: Hassan Ismail – Munir Al-Kaskas
Translated by: Ahmad Hussein Annan
Mount Al-Zawiyahh constitutes the Southern part of the limestone massif, and in that broad sector located in Idleb Governorate, there are two archaeological parks:
- Park No./4/, which includes the sites of Al-Bara, Wadi Martahun “Valley of Martahun”, Majliya, Batrasa, Bashila, Shinshirah or Ruins of Hass ” known as Khirbet Hass”, Rabiaa, Bauda, Dellozeh, and Serjilla.
- Park No./5/,which includes the villages of Ruweiha and Jarada.
The Ancient Villages of Mount Al-Zawiyahh
Mount Al-Zawiyahh (which as mentioned before means the Corner Mountain) is considered the highest and widest among the mountainous of the limestone massif and its top height exceeds 1000m. Its shape is asymmetric, its Western slope is high and it descends directly to the Orontes (Asi) Valley, while gradually declining to the East. Most of the classical villages are located in the Northern part of Mount Al-Zawiyah.
All forms of the limestone massif can be found like the terraces (Jarada), the plateau (Ruweiha), the hills (Shinshirah and Rabiaa) and the valleys (Serjilla and Al-Bara). The ancient villages of Mount Al-Zawiyah usually cluster into coherent groups with their antique ruins spanning and overlooking the ancient agricultural divisions (felid systems).
- The Archaeological Park No./4/:
Fig 1. A Map showing the Distribution of the Park No. /4/ villages.
The area of archaeological park no. /4/ is considered a well-preserved area, where we find many complexes that are close to each other. Therefore, it is unlikely to find a complex which is hidden between them. A group of ancient villages preserved their original state in the classical period and they are located around the town of Al-Bara.
This is the largest park among the other eight parks, and the classical view of Mount Al-Zawiyahh is still the clearest and most distinctive compared to other sites in Mount Simeon. Large segments of the ancient agricultural divisions (field systems) and many small valleys cultivated since the classical period spanning the limestone plateau can be seen in the vicinity of ancient villages.
The most important site of this park is Al-Bara village, which remained an important center even after the area retreated. The park is characterized by being covered with olive trees and ruins rise between them, while the agricultural investment of these divisions was done according to the traditional methods, which gave the site an added value that contributed to its registration on the World Heritage List.
The preserved state of this park scenery is very good and is closely related to the agricultural investment of the lands, and the sites such as Serjilla, Shinshirah, Batrasa and Martahun valley provide a natural and incomparable framework that complements and explains the importance of architectural and archaeological ruins, and in other places within the boundaries of the park the landscape was not preserved with this degree of magnificence. We also found in the limestone massif a strong population growth and development in agricultural activities that usually accompany the use of methods of removing stones and reclaiming the land using methods that are incompatible with a site of this importance especially with the use of heavy machinery to shovel and extract stones to expand the agriculturally fertile areas, which is unfortunately common even within the archeological park. On the other hand, population growth has necessarily led to an increase in the density of facilities that are emerged near or even sometimes inside archaeological sites.
A recent afforestation campaign has partially modified the natural environment, especially around the site of Shinshirah. The new scene that emerged as a result of this process does not respect the old plants or the density of trees that grow naturally, especially with the addition of eucalyptus trees to the green cover which is a popular place for local families who regularly come for picnics or walks during the spring. The archaeological ruins of the main sites have been the subject of excavations and study campaigns since the French Mandate period. In addition, they are generally in a distinct state of preservation. Generally speaking, the Classical and Byzantine period ruins (and even the later in Al-Bara site) haven’t been exposed to the reuse concept. Consequently, the conditions for preserving the underground structures and the existing façades that make up the ruins of this park (the sum of the site of the ancient villages in Northern Syria) are exceptional. The quality of the building materials bundled together without mortar with carefully carved stone blocks have withstood the time, and allowed us today to observe structures that lack only the wooden elements and the final covering to be ready to play their original role as houses/for housing. Research campaigns to study this park contributed to preserve and show the ruins, especially in the Serjilla site.
This report is part of the Archaeological Park Documentation Project has been executed under the scientific supervision of Dr. Abdalrazzaq Moaz and was funded by the Gerda Hankel Foundation – Germany.
Documentation of the Current State:
The ancient villages in Mount Al-Zawiyahh and this park villages in particular have witnessed many developments and suffered during the war in Syria since 2011. Mentioned villages suffered all sorts of attacks.
These villages suffered from the various types of damages resulted from the war, and the damages varied according to the political and military changes on the ground.
Mount Al-Zawiyah witnessed during the first four years of the Syrian revolution, the displacement and migration of the local population to the border areas while some other groups of local residents left their villages and settled temporarily in the neighboring villages in Mount Al-Zawiyah away from the fighting zones.
After a relative stability in the region (signing a de-escalation agreement concerning the town of Idleb and its province) and the return of the local population to it. A new stage of conflict began in Syria, accompanied by a massive displacement of the Syrian people from several governorates to the villages of Mount Al-Zawiyah and settled in the houses and villages scattered across the region in addition to building random tents within the small communities.
This remained the case until the middle of 2019, when the battles began to approach the Southern borders of Idleb Governorate, and the intensity of the bombs shelling in the area increased, the migration movement of residents and expatriates began from Mount Al-Zawiyah at the beginning of 2020, especially in its Southern and Eastern parts. At the end, the area were turned into a military/battle zone.
This situation has negatively affected the villages of the archaeological park in Mount Al-Zawiyah, and led to the rise and escalation of many violations, which differ in time according to the political and military situation.
Hereunder, we provide general documentation on the current status of each village:
Al-Bara
Al-Bara site is considered one of the largest archaeological sites in Mount Al-Zawiyah. It is located on the Western foothill of Mount Al-Zawiyah, and its strategic location is considered as the only road between Apamea and Antioch.
Al-Bara has been known since the second century B.C., and reached its peak in the Fifth and Sixth centuries A.D.
The village of Al-Bara is famous for its rich decorations, which are in churches, houses, olive presses and burials. The village was divided into two districts. The Southern district contains many burial sites dating back to the Fifth and Sixth centuries A.D., while the Western district contains luxurious two-store houses, in addition to several churches which served as a center for pilgrims. There are almost five churches, the largest church is the Northern Basilica (The Fortress), which was built on the ruins of a pagan temple dating back to the Fourth century A.D., and many other monasteries were built also at that time.
The archaeological village was exposed (during the war years since 2011 until present times) to a large group of damages. The most dangerous of which lies in breaking the stones for either re-using them or selling them be re-used in the construction of modern houses. The other danger is bulldozing the site by using heavy machinery, which led to the destruction of archaeological and architectural features. Another group of damages, such as vandalism, secret excavations, modern urban encroachments, and the use of some buildings of the archaeological site as military barracks. Currently, Al-Bara is a front line (bordering the regime forces area) and is falling under the control of the armed opposition.
Due to the importance of the Al-Bara site, some serious attempts and actions were taken in the past years to protect it, and rescuing interventions were executed to preserve some of the damaged architectural elements. However, the scale of the violations was too large to achieve the desired goal of preserving the site and preventing the violations.
The Idleb Antiquities Center is currently preparing a detailed report on the total violations that took place on the site from 2011 to 2020. Therefore, we will postpone the analysis of the current state of the village of Al-Barra for our next report, which will be published in the second half of this year.
The archaeological village of Serjilla is located in the center of Mount Al-Zawiyah, Southeast of Kafr Al-Bara, with a distance of 3 km, specifically about 9 km to the West of the city of Ma’arrat Al-Numan.
A French archaeological mission started archaeological excavations in Serjilla in 1989, and then it became a joint Syrian-French mission. Therefore, excavations, archaeological surveys and architectural studies continued in this site until 2006.
Serjilla consists of two parts, due to two phases of the population settlement:
- The old part: It consists of simple residential houses dating back to the Roman era, starting from the First century until the middle of the Third century A.D. Not much remained from this period except door basements and some stony ceilings accumulated on each other in the valley.
- The newest part: It is a group of various buildings, including luxurious houses, churches, baths, funerary tombs and olive presses, and they are dated back to the Byzantine era, starting from the end of the Fourth century to the Sixth century A.D.
Serjilla is known for its various houses, baths, and burials, it is characterized by the presence of a large cemetery of stone sarcophagi, crosses are engraved inside medals, and these tombs are dated back to the Fourth-Sixth century A.D.
The residents of Serjilla relied on planting fruit trees, especially olives and grapevines. The agricultural economy played a great role in the development of this village, and agricultural products were used in the oil and wine industry, which indicates the availability of many carved rocky/stone olive presses.
The archaeological excavations in Serjilla, which lasted fifteen years between 1989 and 2005, clarified the nature of the development of this village, identified its architectural features, also and showed the excellently preserved status of this site which allowed the excavation work long time ago.
Documentation of the Current State:
Serjilla site is known for its huge and high buildings which maintained their positions as they were before the Syrian war. They were not exposed to major damages as other locations, and were used at the beginning of the population displacement in 2014 and 2015 as a place of residency (camp). Residents fleeing the bombing settled there. There were some changes in the site, but it did not affect significantly the architectural aspect of it. After 2016, some of its buildings were used as a military headquarters, which prevented digging and bulldozing in the site (in contrast to the nearby Al-Bara site, Serjilla was not exposed to bulldozing acts at that time). Consequently, Serjilla was bombed by the Russian air forces in 2020, which caused some damages to the Western part of the site.
The main violation acts that affected the archaeological site were identified as the following:
Fig 2. Serjilla, Crushing and Breaking the Stone Sarcophagi. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Destroying Architectural Elements:
Some of the sarcophagi in the visitors’ square were severely damaged and broken by some saboteurs.
- Secret Excavations:
Close to the foundations and on its Southwestern side, the site has been exposed to secret excavations inside the ancient buildings. The Eastern part was also exposed to some secret excavations work, and the Northern part of the religious complex (the church) was subjected to secret excavations. The depth of mentioned excavations ranges from 50 cm to a maximum depth of 200 cm.
Fig 3. Serjilla, Secret Excavations. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Housing and Urban Encroachments:
The site was used from 2014 to 2015 as a camp by the displaced people. Nothing has changed in the site neither demolitions nor sabotages were seen. But some reconstruction additions and housing improvements were executed such as the use of cement or blocks – sometimes stones and clay were partly used also. Some of displayed people lived in the old tombs and caves of the ancient village, in order to protect themselves from the airstrikes. Some architectural additions have also occurred, such as the construction of ovens to bake bread as residents experienced a lack of bread. Additions also occurred in the area of the religious complex (the mosque that was built on the ruins of a church), where a toilet was built in the Southwest corner of the room.
Fig 4. Serjilla, using the site as camp for displayed people and the built oven. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Military Presence:
In the Western part of the site, near the visitors’ square. There was a military platoon who used some ancient buildings as their residence and added some modifications, such as a roof of tin plates. The roof of the cemetery on the Western side of the religious complex was also covered with tin plates.
Fig 5. Serjilla, Different Violations. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Airstrikes and Warplane Bombing:
In May 2019, the archaeological site of Serjilla was exposed to a raid by the Russian forces. The site was targeted with three vacuum missiles from the Western part, the rockets fell in the square (which is considered as the entrance to the site) and led to great damages. The damages hit especially the North building of the square, which is called a tourist guesthouse with a bathroom that has been rehabilitated in 2011, after the site of Serjilla was registered on the World Heritage List. A wall is still showing the impact of bombing fragments is located to the right of the main square at the entrance to the archaeological site.
Fig 6. Serjilla, Different Violations. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The natural landscape surrounding the site of Serjilla is still preserved. The olive fields and the neighboring forest trees are still in their previous state, and although there are some additions to the site, it is still well preserved until 2020. This area has been endangered and Serjilla is on the line of fire and armed clashes now.
Rabiaa
It is located on a plateau overlooking the towns of Serjilla and Bauda, compared to the villages of Shinshirah, Majliya and Serjilla. Rabiaa is considered a medium-sized archaeological village. It is as big as the village of Bauda, which is located 2 km to the North.
Towers, palaces and land tombs carved in the rock can be seen in Rabiaa, most of the buildings are destroyed, and the most important characteristic of the village is the church with a basilica plan with one lobby, large parts of it are still in a healthy state that helped to identify the decorations, where the leaves of the Acanthus were engraved on the sides of the central medal, and the Acanthus spinous was carved straight, thin and accurate.
Fig 7. Rabiaa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Documentation of the Current State:
During the war, the site turned into a camp for opposition groups and prevented civil society from entering it. Despite the military presence, the site is still very well preserved, and the effects of violations can be mitigated over time.
The main violation acts that affected the archaeological site were identified as the following:
- Military Presence:
Military forces used the site as their headquarters. The rock-carved buildings were used as shelters with trenches and individual pits, which provide relative protection during the bombing. They added concrete blocks and walls to the entrances.
We see also that the decorations above the ceilings of the church doors consisting of medals containing crosses and plant leaves (Acanthus leaves) were exposed to deliberate sabotage with a religious motivation aimed at obliterating Christian signs. Some of the rock-carved statues (sculpted horseman riding a horse) that constitute a gate on the Western side were also a target of an intentional sabotage.
Fig 8. Photos of Rabiaa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Secret Excavations:
Secret excavations took place in several separate places of the site during the period of the military presence of the opposition groups. The pits are scattered at the Southern part of the church and near the ground cemetery. The goal of the mentioned excavations was searching for antiquities, but no random excavations have been observed near the foundations of buildings.
- Recent Additions to the Site:
During the military presence of the opposition groups, bathrooms were built from concrete blocks and were added as public facilities in the archaeological site. But they were separated from the ancient buildings and didn’t cause any damage to the site. They can also be removed in the future.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The natural landscape surrounding the site in the ancient village of Rabiaa has been preserved. The forest trees are still in their previous state, and the architectural crawl as well as the construction of the random houses did not reach the site yet. Buildings of the site are preserved and there is no stone cutting actions at the site at all because the locals prevented the stone workshops owners from entering the site.
Fig 9. A Photo from Rabiaa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Batrasa
The village of Batrasa is located to the Southwest of the village of Al-Bara, on the road between Al-Bara and Kafar Nubbol, and it is close to Majliya. The buildings and houses of Batrasa are mostly destroyed. The destruction includes foundations, walls, arches bearing the upper floor, some entrances and walls. Batrasa has a church dating back to the Fifth century A.D. which is located on the Northern side of the site, adjacent to the main road that connects the town of Al-Bara to Kafar Nubbol. It is of a rectangular shape, most of its parts are demolished.
Fig 10. Photos from Batrasa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Documentation of the Current State:
Despite the previous destruction, the site has preserved its authenticity to an acceptable extent. It did not turn into a military zone, but during the war it was exposed to types of attacks by the local population and archaeological looters.
The main violation acts that affected the archaeological site were identified as the following:
- Secret Excavations:
A spread of random pits are seen in most parts of the site, and these pits can be classified as non-deep pits. The random excavations affected parts of the archaeological levels but did not damage the buildings. Some deep pits within the foundations of the buildings are dangerous and will cause problems in the future.
Fig 11. Secret Excavations in Batrasa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Housing and Urban Encroachments:
Because of the absence of relevant government institutions and archaeological authorities in some areas, archaeological sites were encroached through urban sprawl. Most of the lands in Batrasa, privately owned modern buildings were built adjacent to the archaeological site.
Fig 12. New Built Modern Houses in Batrasa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The natural landscape surrounding the site of Batrasa is still generally preserved. The olive groves, vine, figs, and some forest trees are still in their previous state. However, the architectural crawl and modern buildings have spread around the site, and three modern buildings were built during the previous five years.
Fig 13. The Natural Landscape of Batrasa Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Shinshirah
It is located about 4 km to the South of the village of Al-Bara, neighboring the village of Rabiaa. It lies on a hill overlooking a slope. This village is known as the ruins of Hass (Khirbet Hass), and it is characterized by its many buildings and large houses. Some of the buildings contain Greek writings, and there are traces of a temple that was converted into a church in the Sixth century A.D.
Fig 14. Shinshirah Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
It has also an olive press, a bathroom, a group of funerary burials, and a church built according to a basilica plan. Shinshirah is known for the richness of its exterior decorations. It is similar with its medium size to the village of Majliya. The buildings of this site are characterized by being larger than the buildings of the rest of the villages.
It is also possible to identify in this site the effects of Islamic eras, represented by a small mosque in the center of the village. As for the bathroom, it is located in its Southeastern section, rectangular in shape, and has a water tank with volume of about 4 square meters (4m2).
There is also a church located in the Northeastern part of the town. It was built according to a Basilica plan. It consists of a central corridor and two wings. The church dates back to the Sixth century A.D.
Documentation of the Current State:
During the war, the site turned into a camp for opposition groups, and local residents were banned from entering to the site. Archaeologists and workers were allowed to enter the site through a permission issued by the either the University of Idleb or Idleb Antiquities Center. For some military security reasons, it was forbidden to publicly photograph anything and the opposition groups remained deployed in the site until recently (currently there is no updates on the site).
Fig 15. Shinshirah Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The site has been a target to air strikes in addition to barrel bombs and missiles, especially in the last battles. More than fifteen air strikes were documented.
Under the military presence, the architectural originality of the site remained preserved. We saw pits and trenches that are used for protection from bombing, in addition to the use of rock-carved buildings as headquarters, offices, and shelters. Concrete walls were added, and ceramic floors were used for building public facilities and other additions.
During the military presence of the groups, several modern blocks were established to be used for training and in addition to serve as a camp. No permanent damages occurred to the site and the mentioned additions can be removed in the future.
Fig 16. Modern blocks and buildings in the Site of Shinshirah. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The natural landscape surrounding the site remains well preserved. Olive, fig and forest trees are still in their previous state, and the urban sprawl and construction of informal settlements have not reached the site, and the architectural buildings are still preserved despite the presence of military factions.
Bashila
Bashila is located about 2 km Southwest of Al-Bara, on the top of a plateau overlooking the town of Batrasa and Majliya, and it is surrounded by a beautiful environment and natural landscape.
Fig 17. Photos of Bashila Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
It is a small town. The archaeological buildings are in a good condition which makes it easy to understand the development of the town during the Byzantine era. You can see that through its architectural style and decorative elements and the most important characteristic of the site is the church which dates back to the Fifth century A.D., that church is located in the Northeastern side of the village and lost large portions of its shape, but its entrances remained on the Southern façade, decorated with floral or religious motifs.
Documentation of the Current State:
Due to the absence of archaeological and security authorities, the site has been exposed to the following violations:
- Secret Excavations:
The site was exposed to random excavation works. Looting groups were seeking antiquities during the war period. Many random excavations appeared on the site and are spread throughout the site, including minor, medium and severe damages. The violations comprised the foundations of the walls and the church niche.
- Stone Cutting:
During the war, the site was deliberately sabotaged by ignorant people who know nothing about the importance of cultural and archaeological properties. People cut, broke, and sold stones at cheap prices, transported some of them and used the rest in modern buildings.
Fig 18. Stone Cutting Actions in Bashila Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Environment of the Site:
The natural landscape of Bashila has been well preserved. Olive and fig trees and some forest trees are also still surrounding the site and have a picturesque aesthetic, and the location of the site on a slope overlooking the entire area of Al-Bara gave it a distinctive beauty. Despite some encroachments by the local residents, the buildings of the site are still preserved in their old architectural style.
Fig 19. Photos from Bashila Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Bauda
Bauda is located in the middle of the road between the villages of Al-Bara and Serjilla, and it overlooks the surrounding lands through its privileged location. A valley is separating it from the lands of the neighboring villages (Rabiaa and Serjilla). Bauda is smaller than the neighboring town of Serjilla, and contains many well preserved buildings that lasted, which enables us to easily identify its nature.
In the town of Bauda, we find unoccupied spaces where houses are far apart from each other. There is also a pyramid burial similar to the burial found in Al-Bara.
The Church of Bauda is located in the Northeastern side, and was destroyed in most of its parts. The important characteristic of the mentioned church are the stone pillars instead of columns which differs it from other churches.
Fig 20. Photos of Bauda Site showing the Pyramid Burial. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Documentation of the Current State:
The site was exposed to the sabotage actions with the aim of excavating antiquities. Several random pits appeared and have ravaged parts of the archaeological levels. Mentioned random pits are widely spread on the surface of the site.
Fig 21. Secret Excavations in Bauda Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Also, medium and high-risk random pits appeared and comprised the foundations of the buildings. Their big depths could threaten the buildings’ walls. Also, pits appeared in the middle of the buildings, which had deformed the construction. As for the church a pit in the Niche is clearly seen.
The main reason for the spread of excavations is that the site is open and somehow far from the inhibited towns or villages. The lack of a military presence close to it, and the absence of the Antiquities Law and security agencies helped in that.
Fig 22. Secret Excavations appeared near the Buildings Foundations in Bauda Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Also, the site has been a victim of vandalism, because some people are unaware of the importance of the place, or because of a religious reason aimed at obliterating Christian signs from the medals especially the crosses and botanical leaves.
Fig 23. Secret Excavations appeared Bauda Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The site is located in a barren land with some few forest trees far from the orchards and fields. The area had no military presence and modern buildings don’t exist also, because the site is located far from the local civil society districts but it was open to all people. It became exposed to all types of sabotage more than any other nearby site.
Fig 24. Photos of Bauda Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Majliya
This village is located in the Southwest of Al-Bara (about 1 km away from it), neighboring the town of Batrasa. It lies on the right of the road between Al-Bara and Kafar Nubbol. The area is a flat land, and overlooks a valley stretching from the North to the South,
It is a medium-sized town compared to other towns such as Al-Bara or Ruweiha. It consists of a large group of architectural buildings, the walls of its buildings fences helped to identify the general plan of it, and there is a bathroom located in the Northeastern side of the houses, and is still in good condition till now.
The village included several other buildings, such as the Baptism house and the two Byzantine churches dating back to the Fifth and Sixth centuries A.D. A distinctive ground burial carved into the rock, it is composed of a set of stairs leading to the main burial entrance up to the burial chamber. The architectural form of this burial provides knowledge about the patterns of the ground burials in the region in the past eras.
Fig 25. Photos of Majliya Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Documentation of the Current State:
In spite of the encroachments that happened to the site, it is still in a good architectural condition and its authenticity remains preserved. It is one of the distinguished sites in Mount Al-Zawiyah, as most of the walls are still stand up to the ceiling.
The main violation acts that affected the archaeological site were identified as the following:
- Secret Excavations:
The site has witnessed many random pits (done by Archaeological thieves),which are recent excavations that ruined parts of archaeological levels and some foundations.
Fig 26. Secret Excavations in Majliya Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Stone Cutting:
A huge number of archeological stones in the site have been cut and broken, and they were moved and used in modern buildings.
Fig 27. Stones Cutting in Majliya Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
- Housing and Urban Encroachments:
Some people took advantage of the chaos, the difficulty in controlling violations and the absence of Archaeological law and they build random modern buildings on the archaeological sites. The encroachment on the protected areas is seen through the construction of several modern buildings from the Western and Northern sides of the site.
Fig 28. Modern Houses in Majliya Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
The Environmental and Architectural Surroundings of the Site:
The natural landscape surrounding the site of Majliya is generally preserved. The olive groves, forest trees and figs are still in their previous state. Majliya is the most distinguished natural location in the Area. Its architectural style is still in a good form even buildings and arches remain intact.
Fig 29. The Natural Landscape in Majliya Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Dellozeh
It is located about 3 km to the North of the village of Serjilla (only 1 km to the West of the village of Deir Sunbul). It lies in a low land surrounded by high plateaus from all sides. Dellozeh is a small village far from residential houses and it is one of the villages with the most preserved buildings up to date. Decorative elements are on the facades, and there are many ground burials of various shapes similar to the burials of Rabiaa and Deir Sunbul.
Fig 30. Dellozeh Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Documentation of the Current State:
The site was not exposed to serious encroachments during the conflict in Syria because it is isolated and far away from modern housing, and it was conserved in its general form without the presence of recent additions or occurrences of attacks that have damaged the decorative and architectural elements in other towns. However, we detected some secret superficial excavation pits (not deep) spread out over the surface of the site, under some walls, and in the apse of the church. Mentioned pits are not very dangerous.
Fig 31. Secret Excavations in Dellozeh Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
Wadi Martahun (The Valley of Martahun)
Fig 32. Photos of Wadi Martahun Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
It is located to the Southwest of the village of Al-Bara with a special topographic characteristic. Some buildings stand on the plateau above the valley, while a group of caves, dug within the listed slopes, may have been used to worship Mitra. The most special in that village are the rocky caves.
Documentation of the Current State:
The nature of Martahun Valley includes caves in the rock on a cliff, prompted some military groups to take the site as a military headquarters. Soon, these caves were turned into a prison, and the archaeological site became a closed security area (far from reach). No documentation was done during the previous period.
We believe that the site is a victim of great sabotage actions, deformation, and recent additions that may have changed its distinctive cultural and archaeological scene.
Fig 33. Rocky Caves of Wadi Martahun Site. Photo Credit: Idleb Antiquities Center.
At the present time, the site has been evacuated, but it has become a clash zone on the front line that separates the opposition forces from the Syrian regime forces.