St Simeon & the Dead Cities

Church of Saint Simeon Stylites

The Church of Saint Simeon Stylites is another highlight on our Syria tours. Situated in a tranquil, rural location around 60 kilometres from Aleppo (making it an easy helf-day trip), the 5th century church is a particular draw for visitors to Syria because it contains the remains of the pillar from which the famous hermit monk Saint Simeon Stylites preached to his followers for almost 40 years.

Whilst the Church of St Simeon Stylites contains his pillar, this is not actually the site from which St Simeon preached. The church is one of a number of religious buildings constructed in his honour, and centred on the remains of his column, which has now been reduced to around 2 metres high due to the activities of visiting pilgrims over the centuries.

Particularly pleasant during spring, when the flowers are out, the Church of St Simeon Stylites is a beautiful, peaceful place, and a wonderful monument to one of the most renowned hermit monks.

The Dead Cities

The Dead Cities are a group of around 700 abandoned settlements covering an area of 20-40 kilometres by 140 kilometres, close by the site of the Church of St Simeon, the most important of which are Qalat Siman, Serjilla, and al Bara.

Whole ghost villages, complete with houses, churches, baths and wine presses, the Dead Cities are an eery testament to a period in history of this area, when the nearby city of Antioch was part of the Christian Byzantine empire, and the settlements flourished on trade.

No one really knows why the settlements were eventually abandoned, but the most convincing theory is that with the arrival of the Arab Ummayyad caliphate, trade routes changed and new urban centres brought about urbanisation pressures which led to the depopulation of the countryside, villages and towns.

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Other places of interest in Syria:

Qasr Al Heer Ash Sharqi

Shahba

Ugarit