The growth and development of the city of Ma’arra made the castle a part of the town. Locals built their homes on its grounds and took residence in it. Though the eastern section has since been mostly evacuated, a number of families still reside in the castle. Most of the abandoned homes withi...

Around 20,000 people live in the modern town of Al-Bara which is right next to the archaeological ruins. Most of them are either internally displaced (IDP’s) from Aleppo, Damascus, Al-Ghab, and Zabadani, or are out of the country in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. The town is famous for its ol...

The Al-Zeer palace is located 17 km west of Ma’arrat Al-Nu’man in Ma’ar Tamater village. The historic building is comprised of several rooms built from large limestone masonry. Weathering/environmental effects caused the ceiling to collapse. Its strategic location on an elevation a...

Located southeast of the road connecting Ain Larose and Kansafra, Al-Qasr is one of the most prominent archaeological sites in the village of Ain Larose in Jabal Al-Zawiyah. It was built in the fifth century A.D. (Byzantine period) and is comprised of several residential buildings sitting on a rock...

Introduction: The castle of “Al-Shugoor – Bakas”, located 10 km northwest of the city of Jisr Al-Shugoor, 60 km west of Idlib, and 65 km east of Lattakia. The castle enjoys a strategic location in the governorate of Idlib on the intersection of the key roads tying Lattakia &ndash...

The Syrian Heritage Center received information that there is a Byzantine-era mosaic flor in Al-Bara historical site, located 33 km southwest of Idlib in Jabal Al-Zawiyah, 5 km south of Ehsim, and 20 km southwest of Ariha. History: Al-Bara contains buildings that date back to the second century AD....