Al-Dumayr
Dumeir, also Dumair, Damir and Dumayr (Arabic: الضمير) is a city located 40 kilometers north-east of Damascus, Syria.
Dumeir ضمير Dumayr | |
|---|---|
 Temple of Zeus Hypsistos, Dumeir | |
  Dumeir Location in Syria | |
| Coordinates: 33°38′31″N 36°41′34″E | |
| Country |  |
| Governorate | Rif Dimashq |
| District | Douma |
| Subdistrict | al-Dumayr |
| Elevation | 675 m (2,215 ft) |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 24,223 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (EEST) |
Archaeology
The Roman Temple of Dumeir lies in the center of the old town. It was dedicated to Zeus Hypsistos in 245 AD in the reign of the Roman Emperor Philip the Arab. However, there is an earlier reference to the building in a lawsuit in 216. An altar dedicated to the Semitic deity, Baalshamin in 94 AD, now in the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, indicates that a Nabatean religious building previously stood on the site. The shape is highly unusual, and construction may have commenced as a public fountain or staging post, but in its final form it is clearly a temple. It was fortified in the Arab period, the arch on the rear wall being filled in with stones and defensive devices. The temple has been restored as the result of much research and reconstruction work.[1]
The Ghassanid phylarch (tribal king) al-Mundhir III ibn al-Harith built a tower at Dumayr. A Greek inscription engraved by al-Mundhir credits himself for its construction and thanks God and St. Julian.[2] A monastery associated with the Ghassanids called Dayr al-Matirun, likely an Arabicized version of the Greek martyrion, existed about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) east of Dumayr.[3]
Facilities
A cemetery was built in 1960 for the French casualties of WWI and WWII in Al-Dumayr.[4] The Syrian Arab Air Force Al-Dumayr Military Airport is also located in Al-Dumayr.
See also
External links
References
- Burns, Ross (2009). The Monuments of Syria (3rd ed.). I. B. Taurus. pp. 147–148.
- Shahid 2002, pp. 131, 133, 206.
- Shahid 2002, pp. 189–190.
- "Le cimetière militaire de Dmeir, en Syrie". souvenirfrancais-issy.com (in French).
Bibliography
- Shahid, Irfan (2002). Byzantium and the Arabs. Washington, D. C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.
