Middle East - Anthony Ham [426]
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DEAD CITIES
These eerie and ancient ghost towns are dotted along the limestone hills that lie between the Aleppo–Hama highway in the east and the Orontes River in the west. By some estimates, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of such cities in northern Syria, ranging from single monuments to whole villages complete with houses, churches, mills, hammams and even wine presses. They date from the time when this area was part of the hinterland of the great Byzantine city of Antioch; the great mystery is why these towns and villages were abandoned. The latest theory is that they were emptied by demographic shifts – trade routes changed and the people moved with them.
Most travellers make a day trip taking in Al-Bara, Serjilla and Qala’at Samaan.
Al-Bara is the most extensive of the Dead Cities, dotted over a wide area of olive groves and intensively farmed land where vegetables, olives, grapes and apricots are grown alongside. The highlights are the striking pyramid tombs, 200m apart, decorated with Corinthian pilasters and carved acanthus leaves, a very visible testament to the one-time wealth of the settlement. The larger of the two still holds five sealed, decorated sarcophagi, although the interior (viewed through a metal grill) is strewn with graffiti.
The most evocative of the Dead Cities is undoubtedly Serjilla (adult/student S£75/5), especially in winter when the ruins might be shrouded in mist. It has the most semi-complete buildings, all sitting in a natural basin in windswept and hilly moorland. Although Serjilla has been deserted for about 15 centuries, the buildings’ stone facades are remarkably well preserved and it’s easy to get a feel for what the town would have looked like in its heyday. At Serjilla’s centre is a small plaza flanked by a two-storey tavern and a large hammam. Next door lies an andron (men’s meeting place), and further east, a small church along with substantial remnants of private houses and villas. It’s a spooky place and the red hue of the building materials provides some quite beautiful interplays of light.
You’re best off visiting the Dead Cities on a combined Qala’at Samaan/Dead Cities tour from Aleppo (Click here) or in your own car, as they’re extremely difficult to reach on public transport and are scattered over a large area.
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LATTAKIA
041 / pop 1.05 million
Laid-back Lattakia has little in common with the rest of Syria and it’s easily the country’s most Westernised city. A busy port since Roman times, it has a Mediterranean feel, an outward-looking inclination and true joie de vivre. Its pavement cafés are inevitably packed with locals sipping espresso, smoking nargilehs, listening to imported music and telling slightly risqué jokes.
In Lattakia, young women don skin-tight jeans and apply their lipstick lavishly, eschewing the headscarf; young men dress in homeboy uniform, albeit with a Syrian slant. The place offers a refreshing change, particularly if you’ve travelled from conservative Aleppo and you’ve been on the Middle Eastern road for a while.
Apart from its atmosphere, Lattakia’s major attraction is as a base for Qala’at Saladin and there are also some fine beaches north of town.
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INFORMATION
Internet Access
Center Net (Sharia al-Mutanabi; per hr S£60; 11am-11pm) Good connections.
Fire Net (Sharia al-Maghreb al-Arabi; per hr S£60; 24hr) Quite fast connections and a room for wireless if you’ve a laptop.
Virus Internet Café ( 465 540; Sharia Baghdad; per hr S£30-60; 24hr) Worrying name, but fast connections