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Blue is the colour of heaven - Aleppo
Blue is the colour of heaven
by TheWanderingCamel
Off the Beaten Path in Aleppo: day trips tips and photos posted by real travelers and Aleppo locals.
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day trips: Qala'at Samaan (St Simeon)
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  • Updated By MalenaN on September 28, 2004
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  • The Church of St Simeon - Aleppo
    The Church of St Simeon
    by MalenaN
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    On a hilltop, about 40 km northwest of Aleppo, are the ruins of Church of St Simeon. Here the ascetic Simeon Stylites sat on a pillar for 40 years. He became known all over the Byzantine world and pilgrims came to see him. After Simeon’s death a large church was built in the shape of a cross with the pillar in the middle of an octagonal courtyard. When the church was completed in 490 it was the biggest church in the world. Then it became the second largest after Hagia Sofia in Constantinople. The Arabic name is Qala’at Samaan (fortress of St Simeon). As the Muslim Arabs came to the region the church and monastery was fortified.

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    day trips: The pillar
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  • Updated By MalenaN on September 28, 2004
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  • Remains of the pillar - Aleppo
    Remains of the pillar
    by MalenaN
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    As very young St Simeon Stylites joined a monastery. It was not ascetic enough so he withdrew to a cave and he passed his days with prayer and meditation. As pilgrims started to come and he got a lot of unwanted attention he built a pillar that in the beginning was three metres high, with a platform on top. He lived 40 years on top of a pillar, but in the end it was almost 20 metres high. What did he do when he needed to go to the bathroom? Not much remains of the pillar as people during the centuries have taken pieces away.

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    day trips: Decorations
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  • Updated By MalenaN on September 30, 2004
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  • Me and a stone - Aleppo
    Me and a stone
    by MalenaN
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    The ornamental carved stonework is nice and believed to first have been used in St Simone to later become a common design in Byzantine architecture. Looking closely you will also notice there are several types of crosses. You can see the Maltesian-, Byzantine-, Greek- and Roman-Latin crosses.

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    day trips: In the footprints of a god
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  • By TheWanderingCamel on April 13, 2005
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  • Temple guardian - Aleppo
    Temple guardian
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    Standing high above the surrounding pomegranate orchards , the tell at Ain Dara is crowned by the remains a neo-Hittite temple (1000BC). A huge black basalt lion guards the approach to the temple, the base of which has a frieze of lions and winged sphinxes running all around. Step onto the platform of the temple and you will find four huge footprints carved deep into the stone paving of the entry as if a god has trodden there and left his mark. While there is no cafe or restaurant nearby, you are welcome to picnic in the grounds of the site office, where the guard does have bottles of water for sale as well as his own delicious pomegranate molasses - wonderful for cooking with. Ain Dara is about 60km north of Aleppo. You could combine a visit there with a visit to St Simeon.

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    day trips: Qala'at Samaan - The Baptistry
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  • Updated By MalenaN on September 29, 2004
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  • The Baptistry - Aleppo
    The Baptistry
    by MalenaN
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    South of the church is the baptistery. Many pilgrims who came here were not Baptist jet and therefore had to get Baptist before they could enter the church. It was easily done in the walk-through baptismal font. Steps are leading down to the font and on the other side steps are leading up and out.

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    day trips: The guide
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  • Updated By MalenaN on September 30, 2004
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  • Abu Abdo - Aleppo
    Abu Abdo
    by MalenaN
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    Our guide Mustafa Jasem (Abu Abdo) has been working at the site since he was a child and as he has been there for a very long time he also knows very much and is interesting to listen to. While working he has picked up several languages and maybe he can give you a guided tour in your own language. With a mirror, reflecting the sun, he points to interesting details to see.

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    day trips: The Road to Cyrrhus
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  • By TheWanderingCamel on March 13, 2005
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  • The road to Cyrrhus - Aleppo
    The road to Cyrrhus
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    Cyrrhus, in the far north of Syria, 100km from Aleppo, is a wonderfully remote and beautiful place. The road there takes you through rich farmland, miles and miles of olive groves, over two Roman bridges and on to the scattered remains of a Byzantine city close to the Turkish border. A Roman tower tomb has become a shrine for a local Muslim saint, Nebi Houri, and this attracts local families at weekends, but at other times it is quite deserted and marvellously peaceful. Because it is so remote, driving yourself or taking a driver is your best option for getting there. Otherwise it is a combination of a microbus (Aleppo to Arzaz) and then a local taxi.

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    day trips: Rose-pink city in the desert
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  • By TheWanderingCamel on April 14, 2005
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  • The Basilica of St Sergius - Aleppo
    The Basilica of St
    Sergius
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    It's possible to visit Resafa, Byzantine Sergiopolis, in a long day trip from Aleppo. Once named for St Sergius, Syria's soldier saint, the city had many periods when it was highly favoured and richly endowed but earthquakes and conquest have laid waste to most of its spendours. What remains are the rose-coloured walls and some impressive buildings within. The site is vast and is surrounded by very well preserved walls with some lovely arcading and a massive north gate. Inside virtually all is bare but there are two large churches and three very impressive cisterns. No doubt future excavations will unearth much more, but the task is huge. There is a small teahouse at the site but no food is available there though you are welcome to bring your own. To visit from Aleppo in a day, you really would need to have your own transport, either driving yourself or taking some sort of tour.

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    day trips: City of the Saints
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  • By TheWanderingCamel on April 14, 2005
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  • The tomb of Nebi Houri and an unknown Roman - Aleppo
    The tomb of Nebi Houri and an
    unknown Roman
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    In Byzantine times, the outpost city of Cyrrhus was also known as Hagiopolis - the City of the Saints - because of the number of saintly relics held in its churches. Now there is only one saint remaining, and he is a Muslim - the 14th century Nebi Houri. His tomb has been placed in a much older Roman tower tomb. You can climb the tower easily - it's not high. The scattered ruins of the city itself lie a few hundred yards up the hill. Not much remains now, it's hard to imagine a theatre that once was larger than the great theatre at Bosra stood where now there are only a few rows of seats. It's the beautiful, remote setting, right near the Turkish border, that makes a visit to Cyrrhus so special. Access by public transport (bus from Aleppo to Azaz and then a taxi) is possible, if a bit difficult. If you have your own transport, you can easily visit Cyrrhus on the same day as trip to St Simeon and Ain Dara, and you can take the road that crosses two Roman bridges. leyle

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    day trips: Standing alone .....
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  • Updated By TheWanderingCamel on April 25, 2005
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  • The church at Mushbarrak - Aleppo
    The church at Mushbarrak
    by TheWanderingCamel
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    ....on a small hill overlooking the road to Saint Simeon, the 5th century church at Mushbarrak is in a remarkable state of preservation and is well worth the short detour to look at it more closely. With its high walls, columns and capitals, domed apse and arched clerestory windows all virtually intact, it gives a very clear picture of the structure of a Byzantine basilica of this period. What is missing of course, is the colour and richness with which it would have been filled. What we see are the gaunt, bare bones of the church, now rather appropriately referred to as one of the 'Dead Cities" Explore the area a little more and you will find the entrance to a large underground tomb and the scattered remains of a monastery.

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