Surqaniya

Surqaniya (سرقانيا) is a village in northwestern Syria, in the Jebel Sem’an region of the Dead Cities. In 2011, the village was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Dead Cities.

House, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - View from the southwest - PHBZ024 2016 6092 - Dumbarton Oaks

Location

Surqaniya is part of the Aleppo Governorate, west of the nation’s capital. It is located just south of an ancient road. Historically, there was a spring in the town, which fed a stream flowing south through the valley.[1]

4th-5th c. CE Church, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - East end - PHBZ024 2016 7787 - Dumbarton Oaks

Archaeological Remains

The structures that still stand in Surqaniya include a cluster of houses, a fourth-century church, and a small well-preserved sixth-century church at the southern outskirts of the village.[2]

6th c. CE Church, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - East façade - PHBZ024 2016 6103 - Dumbarton Oaks

There is a villa just west of the settlement, whose upper walls still stand. Christian symbols adorn entrances on the south façade, and the east side still holds a balcony floor.[3] Measuring 12 x 7 meters, scholars identify this structure as an inn. The ground floor interior walls are adorned with votive columns and crosses, lit by five small windows. The room is split into equal parts.[4]

6th c. CE Church, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - West façade - PHBZ024 2016 6121 - Dumbarton Oaks


The fourth-century, single-nave church is located near the center of the cluster of houses. The church is poorly preserved, with only the triumphal arch doorway of the sanctuary and apse walls surviving. In the fifth century, the apse of the nave was flanked by a second apse, presumably used for baptismal purposes.[5]

Unidentified Building, Surqaniya (سرقانيا), Syria - Door detail, south façade - PHBZ024 2016 6096 - Dumbarton Oaks


The larger, sixth-century chapel is situated about 100 meters south of the modern road.[6] It has a single nave, with the sanctuary at the east end extending southward beyond the nave.[7] . The chapel’s condition is notably well-preserved, including the roof over the sanctuary.[8] The building’s south chamber reaches higher than the surrounding buildings, and likely had a pyramidal wooden roof.[9]

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gollark: I mean, it also can lead to problematic arguments which spiral out of control.
gollark: It's weird how some of them said stuff like "it'll go away after the election" as if the entire world revolves around US politics or something.
gollark: > but its fascinating to see the stupidityI was looking at some reddit subreddit about allegedly "free-thinkers resisting the new normal" and *actually* seemingly about people complaining about masks, having to isolate after positive tests, talking about herd immunity, and saying "plandemic" a bit for similar reasons; morbid curiosity or something I guess.
gollark: Electric models of what?

References
  1. Butler, H.C. (1920). Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria in 1904-1905. Division II, Section B, Part 4-6. Leiden: Brill.
  2. Pasquale Castellana, Romualdo Fernández (2013). Chiese siriane del IV secolo (Edizioni Terra Santa ed.). Milano. pp. 90–97.
  3. Pasquale Castellana, Romualdo Fernández (2013). Chiese siriane del IV secolo (Edizioni Terra Santa ed.). Milano. pp. 90–97.
  4. Peña, Ignacio (1980). Les reclus syriens : Recherches sur les anciennes formes de vie solitaire en Syrie. Milano: Franciscan Printing Press. pp. 217–219.
  5. Pasquale Castellana, Romualdo Fernández (2013). Chiese siriane del IV secolo (Edizioni Terra Santa ed.). Milano. pp. 90–97.
  6. Pasquale Castellana, Romualdo Fernández (2013). Chiese siriane del IV secolo (Edizioni Terra Santa ed.). Milano. pp. 90–97.
  7. Pasquale Castellana, Romualdo Fernández (2013). Chiese siriane del IV secolo (Edizioni Terra Santa ed.). Milano. pp. 90–97.
  8. Butler, H.C. (1920). Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria in 1904-1905. Division II, Section B, Part 4-6. Leiden: Brill.
  9. Butler, H.C. (1920). Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria in 1904-1905. Division II, Section B, Part 4-6. Leiden: Brill.


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