one of the many columns along the collonaded street in the Roman city of Apamea
The world famous Mosaics Museum, with more than 2000 m2 of some of the finest, most complete Roman and Byzantine mosaics, is housed in an old caravanserai in Ma’arat al-Numan, some 80 km south of Aleppo. And Ma’arat al-Numan has been in the firing line of the Syrian civil war for many years. To get to the museum, we drive, once again, through rubble, and more rubble, not a single house is standing undamaged. Not different from what we saw on the way to Aleppo.
Ma’arat al-Numan is still in the ‘military buffer zone’, and I suspect the museum is officially closed, but our guide has managed to convince the custodians to open up, for us. We are told that at the beginning of the conflict the mosaics have been covered with cement, to make sure they were not discovered and stolen by the enemy.
bombed out neighbourhood in Ma’arat al-Numan, close to the Mosaics Museum
and another street, same area, next to the museum
another house, not much left
scrap metal collectors do a good trade in the ravaged military buffer zone
(However, from what I understand by subsequently searching the internet is that, in 2013 when a journalist visited the museum, rebel opposition forces held the place, and the mosaics were still in the wide open courtyard. It is indeed hard to believe that local people would not have known about these mosaics. The most likely damage was in fact coming from government forces and air raids (https://souriahouria.com/latest-war-victim-syrian-museum-of-mosaics-by-herve-bar). Only in 2018 the Syrian Cultural Heritage Centre, with UNESCO funding, protected the mosaics by bringing them inside the building, and covering them with some form of synthetic material, and with cloths (https://hpi.tda-sy.org/en/content/606/687/safeguarding-cultural-heritage/final-report:-protection-of-mosaics-ma%E2%80%99arrat-al-numan-museum-2-august-2018)).
the courtyard of the caravanserai, which has also not escaped the war unscratched
and this lovely bas relief of what I presume is a soldier
the courtyrad used to be home to lots of artefacts, like this tomb
covered mosaics on the floors inside the caravanserai, and others stacked against the walls
splashing water on the mosaics to make them look brighter
Many of the mosaics are still covered – not with cement, but some sticky cloth -, but the custodian easily rips off the covers from some of the mosaics on the walls, and happily throws water over them, to remove the dust and brighten them up for our pictures – I am not sure if this is the best possible treatment. From what I understand, contrary to the usual effects of war, the contents of this museum is still largely in place, thanks to the efforts of local people. What can I say? The mosaics we get to see are fabulous. More pictures of the mosaics are here.
As extra bonus we are also shown the secret passages through which rebels and terrorists escaped. Sure.
and this mosaic, originally stutted with column parts as weights
this is just one of the fabulous mosaics, a beautiful Roman scene
the impressive collonaded road of Roman Apamea
From the museum we drive on to Apamea, a city established in Greek times, but rebuilt by the Romans in the 2nd C AD. Once again, we haven’t gotten enough time to explore all the buildings in great detail, but we do walk part of the colonnaded street, with 1,85 km the longest surviving of its kind in the Roman world. Unlike Palmyra, where we go later, the street here is paved, and traces of rut marks from carriages can even be identified. Originally, there would have been some 1200 columns lining the street; 400 of them have been re-erected in the middle of the 20th C, as most had fallen to earthquakes over the years. It is a very impressive sight, indeed. The nearby amphitheatre may have been the largest in Syria, although you wouldn’t say: large parts have not been excavated yet, and many of the stones that were exposed have been carried off for construction by the local people.
a strech of almost connected columns along the road
same thing, from another angle
and a bit more detail at the top
colours are provided by the flowers
and by these insects inside the blue to purple leaves of a plant
this is the other side of the road, allegedly the Byzantine part
entrance to the Apamea theatre
of which not a lot is left, the seats mostly used in further construction
the citadel of Apamea, now – once again – a military fortification, out of bouds for us
access road and outer wall of the citadel
and a cemetery, nearby
The other attraction of Apamea is its citadel, reconstructed by Arab forces in the 12th and 13th Century, after earlier earthquake damage. Unfortunately, off limits nowadays because it is a military area. Yet, impressive from below – now I did take a picture of a military facility! Which, I am sure, cannot be said of what I think is Shizar Castle, an abandoned Arab fort on the way to Hama.
next: Hama
the Shizar Castle (I think)
I think you must be sad by seeing the destruction of so many buildings!