It has a bit of a Monty Python ring to it but I just couldn't help it. The other day, when passing through the holy city of Antioch, I couldn't help but have a quick look for the Holy Handgrenade. I think I may have even been heard to utter "three is the number of thy counting and the number of thy counting shall be three." Of course that may have been the delirium brought on by a sleepless night on a bus with a bunch of young military draftees.
Anyway, back to the story. Qala'at Samaan, or the Bascilica of St Simeon is located about 40km from Aleppo. In AD 423 Simeon climbed atop a3m pillar. When he died, 36 years later he had graduated to an 18m pillar (having spent the intervening time leading up to this great conquest). After his death an enormous church was built around the most famous pillar and, apparently, pilgrims from all over Christendom came to pay their respects. Is that all it takes, maybe there's hope for me yet!
What remains today is a remarkably well preserved Romanesque facade and ruins that provide magnificent views of the surrounding Syrian countryside.
Getting there was initially the source of some anxiety. I did not quite feel up to braving the Syrian microbus system by myself and then be left with quite some distance to go at the other end. As I was pondering this quandry, feeling decidedly less brave without my travelling companion, I realised that travelling with a fairly generous and flexible budget did afford me some luxuries. Almost certainly I paid above the going rate, but outside the Tourist Office I engaged the services of a taxi driver (with very good english) who drove me out there, waited for an hour and a half, and returned me to Aleppo. By Syrian standards it was expensive, but for a little under $40, I was relaxed, had a bit of a driving tour of Aleppo and learnt some Arabic along the way. The ruins were stunning, and yes, given the relatively short period of time, I set a pace with my photos that Mum could not hope to keep up with!
The time not spent messing around with public transport also allowed me sufficient time to board the afternoon train for Lattakia. The taxi and train rides provided quite possibly the best cross section of life in Syria I could have expected in one day. The road to Qala'at Samaan passed through New Aleppo, a sprawling outpost of modern apartment blocks and new roads that signal some of the reforms that appear to be gathering pace in Syria. The train on the other hand passed through poorer neighbourhoods, with areas of crumbling housing and filthy from rubbish been thrown over back fences and left to rot.
After a ride across a seemingly fertile, if somewhat rocky plain, the train passed through the mountains that run parallel to the Mediterranean coast. Lonely Planet got it right again; the views were simply spectacular, and I was luccky enough to emerge from the mountains, heading west for Lattakia, just as the sun was getting low in the sky. I hope the photos can do it justice!
Anyway, back to the story. Qala'at Samaan, or the Bascilica of St Simeon is located about 40km from Aleppo. In AD 423 Simeon climbed atop a3m pillar. When he died, 36 years later he had graduated to an 18m pillar (having spent the intervening time leading up to this great conquest). After his death an enormous church was built around the most famous pillar and, apparently, pilgrims from all over Christendom came to pay their respects. Is that all it takes, maybe there's hope for me yet!
What remains today is a remarkably well preserved Romanesque facade and ruins that provide magnificent views of the surrounding Syrian countryside.
Getting there was initially the source of some anxiety. I did not quite feel up to braving the Syrian microbus system by myself and then be left with quite some distance to go at the other end. As I was pondering this quandry, feeling decidedly less brave without my travelling companion, I realised that travelling with a fairly generous and flexible budget did afford me some luxuries. Almost certainly I paid above the going rate, but outside the Tourist Office I engaged the services of a taxi driver (with very good english) who drove me out there, waited for an hour and a half, and returned me to Aleppo. By Syrian standards it was expensive, but for a little under $40, I was relaxed, had a bit of a driving tour of Aleppo and learnt some Arabic along the way. The ruins were stunning, and yes, given the relatively short period of time, I set a pace with my photos that Mum could not hope to keep up with!
The time not spent messing around with public transport also allowed me sufficient time to board the afternoon train for Lattakia. The taxi and train rides provided quite possibly the best cross section of life in Syria I could have expected in one day. The road to Qala'at Samaan passed through New Aleppo, a sprawling outpost of modern apartment blocks and new roads that signal some of the reforms that appear to be gathering pace in Syria. The train on the other hand passed through poorer neighbourhoods, with areas of crumbling housing and filthy from rubbish been thrown over back fences and left to rot.
After a ride across a seemingly fertile, if somewhat rocky plain, the train passed through the mountains that run parallel to the Mediterranean coast. Lonely Planet got it right again; the views were simply spectacular, and I was luccky enough to emerge from the mountains, heading west for Lattakia, just as the sun was getting low in the sky. I hope the photos can do it justice!
No comments:
Post a Comment