File:Bara, one of the Dead Cities, NW Syria - 1.jpg

From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Original file (3,000 × 2,336 pixels, file size: 1.94 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)

Captions

Captions

Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents

Summary

[edit]
Description

Al-Bara is the most extensive of the Dead Cities of northern Syria and one of the last to be abandoned. It held out as a bastion of Eastern Christianity until the arrival of the Crusaders in the 11th century. History After humble beginnings in the 4th century AD, Al-Bara grew into one of the most important centers of wine and olive oil production in the area. Surrounded by rich, fertile land and situated along the north-south trade route between Antioch and Apamea, Al-Bara prospered and grew, even after the trade routes shifted in the 7th century and most other settlements were abandoned. Al-Bara weathered the Islamic conquest and remained predominantly Byzantine Christian, boasting its own bishop who was subordinate to the Archbishop of Antioch. Eastern Christianity finally came to an end in Al-Bara with the occupation of the Latin Crusaders in the late 11th century. It was from Al-Bara that the Crusaders embarked on the horrible cannibalistic episode at Majarat an-Nujaman in 1098. By 1125, the Crusaders were driven out of the area and Al-Bara came under Muslim control. It was finally abandoned in the late 12th-century, probably because of an earthquake. There is no obvious route through the site of Al-Bara and the land is densely covered with trees and undergrowth. The land is still fertile here, and some small plots among the stones are still worked for olives, grapes and apricots. The ruins of Al-Bara cover 6 sq km and incorporate numerous large villas, three monasteries, and as many as a dozen Byzantine churches. Five churches can still be seen amongst the ruins today. The most striking structures are a pair of pyramid tombs, standing 200m apart. These monumental tombs, decorated with carved acanthus leaves, testify to the one-time wealth of this city. The larger pyramid still houses five sealed and decorated sarcophagi.

Continuing south past the pyramid tombs, there is an underground tomb with three arches and a large, well-preserved monastery.
Date
Source Bara, one of the Dead Cities, NW Syria
Author James Gordon from Los Angeles, California, USA

Licensing

[edit]
w:en:Creative Commons
attribution
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
You are free:
  • to share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work
  • to remix – to adapt the work
Under the following conditions:
  • attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
This image was originally posted to Flickr by james_gordon_losangeles at https://www.flickr.com/photos/79139277@N08/7430265014. It was reviewed on 29 October 2012 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-2.0.

29 October 2012

File history

Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.

Date/TimeThumbnailDimensionsUserComment
current08:50, 29 October 2012Thumbnail for version as of 08:50, 29 October 20123,000 × 2,336 (1.94 MB)Stobkcuf (talk | contribs)== {{int:filedesc}} == {{Information |Description=Al-Bara is the most extensive of the Dead Cities of northern Syria and one of the last to be abandoned. It held out as a bastion of Eastern Christianity until the arrival of the Crusaders in the 11th ce...

There are no pages that use this file.

File usage on other wikis

The following other wikis use this file:

Metadata