Middle East - Anthony Ham [439]
Dura Europos
If you’ve only time to visit one ancient site in eastern Syria, make it Dura Europos ( caretaker 096 654 6597; adult/student S£75/5). With extraordinary views over the Euphrates and its flood plain, this extensive, Hellenistic/Roman fortress city amply rewards those who make it out here. Phone the caretaker, if he’s not around, to let you in.
HISTORY
Founded by the Seleucids in around 280 BC, Europos retained the ancient Assyrian name of Dura (wall or fort), and is now known to locals as Tell Salhiye. It was the ideal place for a fortress – the desert plateau abruptly ends in a wall of cliffs dropping 90m into the Euphrates. In 128 BC the city fell to the Parthians and remained in their hands (although under the growing influence of Palmyra) until the Romans succeeded in integrating it into their defensive system in AD 165. Dura Europos was famous for its religious tolerance, seemingly confirmed by the presence of a church, synagogue and other Greek, Roman and Mesopotamian temples side by side. The Sassanian Persians seized control of the site in 256, and from then on its fortunes declined.
SIGHTS
The western wall stands out in the stony desert 1km east of the main road, and its most imposing element is the formidable Palmyra Gate – look for Greek inscriptions on the walls just inside the gate. The massive site sprawls away to the north, east and south, but just inside the gate there’s a site map that’s useful for getting your bearings.
Take the main path running northeast towards the river and you’ll pass the low-lying remnants of Roman baths on the right, a khan on the left and then the site of the Greek agora. Opposite the agora are the sites (although little remains) of three temples dedicated to Artemis, Atargatis and the Two Gads. The original Greek temple to Artemis was replaced by the Parthians who added a tiny theatre for religious gatherings.
Around 300m northeast of the gate, the path drops down towards the riverbank. The Romans installed themselves at this end of the city, and it’s from here that you’ll get your first view of the river; here, the site begins to work its magic. Overlooking the river on the right, the partially rebuilt Redoubt Palace drops down to the delightful mud ruins of the baths, while the high wall of the new citadel dominates, away to the northeast.
Remarkably, all other visitors to the site on the day we were here ventured no further. Don’t make the same mistake or you’ll wonder what all the fuss is about. Instead, continue down the slope to the hill behind the citadel – from the summit there are stunning views out over the Euphrates and its fertile littoral, although tread carefully as the cliffs drop away steeply here. West of the new citadel, the Romans placed their Palace of Dux Ripae, built around a colonnaded courtyard of which nothing much is left, although from here there are some more fine river views.
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Any microbus between Al-Bukamal and Deir ez-Zur (S£50, two hours) will drop you near the ruins, which are clearly visible from the highway around 1km away.
Mari
The ruins of Mari (Tell Hariri; adult/student S£75/5), an important Mesopotamian city dating back some 5000 years, are about 10km north of Al-Bukamal. The mud-brick ruins are the single greatest key serving to unlock the door on the ancient past of Mesopotamia, but to everyone but archaeology buffs, they’re not all that inspiring, with the most interesting finds in the museums of Damascus, Aleppo, Deir ez-Zur and in the Louvre in Paris.
The Babylonians under Hammurabi destroyed