 | Things to Do in Muhafazat Halab 
 
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 | The ascet |    |  |
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 |  on September 16, 2005 |
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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| St Simeon | | |
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| on September 16, 2005 |
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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| A guided tour | | |
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| on September 16, 2005 |
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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| The Baptistery | | |
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| on September 16, 2005 |
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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| Stone work | | |
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| on September 16, 2005 |
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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| Around Qala'at Samaan... | | |
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 on November 22, 2005 |
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| Around Qala'at Samaan... | | |
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| on November 22, 2005 |
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| Around Qala'at Samaan... | | |
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| on November 22, 2005 |
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| Around Qala'at Samaan... | | |
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| on November 22, 2005 |
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| Around Qala'at Samaan... | | |
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| on November 22, 2005 |
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