Apamea and the Dead Cities

I know I've said this before, but Syria just keeps getting better and better! The Riad Hotel runs a fleet of taxis dedicated to tours organised through the hotel and so today Abdul chaffeured me on another sojourn through the spectacular Syrian countryside. As we drove through a rare Syrian thunderstorm I wondered what the day would bring. The rain cleared by the time we arrived at Serjilla, which allowed me to wander amongst the ruins with the aromas of a spring thunderstorm filling my nostrils and a fresh sheen over the buildings.

The Dead Cities once formed the hinterland of the great Byzantine city of Antioch. Although deserted for nearly 15 centuries, Serjilla at least, is remarkably well preserved. The number of facades that remain standing allow you to get a real feel for how the city was laid out and would have looked in its heyday. There is some reconstruction going on at the moment and so the presence of a large modern crane provided an interesting counterpoint to the more than 2000 year old ruins. A couple have shepherds have also recently moved in, allowing chickens and sheep to roam freely. Out next stop in the Dead Cities was Al-Bara. Although less well preserved, it was fascinating to see olive groves and cherry trees alongside striking pyramid tombs and ruined monasteries.

From Al-Bara we continued to Apamea. I have to say that Apamea is the equal, if not the pick, of any of the archeological sites I have visited on this trip. It is spoken of by locals with the same reverence usually restricted to Palmyra. The nearly 2km stretch of grey granite colonades make for a breathtaking sight, especially when you consider it is perched on a high grassy moor overlooking the Al-Ghab Plain. It was founded in the second century BC by Seleuces I, one of Alexander the Great's generals. Although it prospered through the Byzantine period, it was sacked by the Persians in the 6th and 7th centuries and fell into decline when Syria was seized by the Muslims.

What sevred to heighten my enjoyment of Apamea even more was that I shared this magnificence with at most 20 other visitors, a handful of shepherds and a few hundred sheep. I should not forget however, that there were a couple of people keen to sell me antiquities, including rare greek coins that he had recently founds amongst the ruins. Sceptical to say the least, and not remotely confident that the Greeks ever made it to Apamea, I declined the somewhat persistent offers.

I guess one of the byproducts of travelling alone is that I'm spending a little more time reading and learning about the history of the places that I am visiting. I am also getting the opportunity to meet some more of the locals. I had an interesting, if somewhat stilted conversation with an Iraqi guy who moved to Hama 5 years ago. He would like to return someday, but fears that it won't be anytime soon. All this over a cup of tea in an open air cafe, beside the Orontes River in Hama.