Bosra is the most important Roman site in Syria
because of the magnificent and exceptionally intact
Roman theatre. Bosra has played an important role in
exchanges with Egypt in the bronze age. It is
mentioned under the name of Bosrana in the archives of
the 18th pharaonic dynasty. After the 7th century A.D.
however, Bosra lost of its importance and its destiny
is hardly known.
Seidnaya means “our lady” in Syriac. The village is spread
out over a hilltop and surrounded by vineyards and olive
groves. The square houses, with high airy arcaded fronts,
rise like giants on the rocky hill which is crowned by
imposing buildings. It has a fortress with many columns
which vaults are blue, and a very old Byzantine church .
Its
little houses cling to the face of the rocks look
suspended in the mid-air. There are two monasteries here:
Saint Sergius and Saint Taqla’s. The inhabitants still
speak Aramaic, the language spoken by the Christ. Two
neighboring villages: Jab’a and Naj’a also speak this
language. The word “Maaloula” means “entrance” in Aramaic.
Its Arabic
name is Afamia.
It was
founded by Saluqos Nikator’s who named it Apamea after his
wife’s name. It symbolizes the encounter of the two
civilizations: Greek and Syrian. It is famous for the
intellectuals it attracted, its ruins which are
outstanding beautiful, and it is also famous for its old
stables.
Mari
was discovered during the excavation of tell Hariri. The
excavation was done by a French mission, headed by André
Parrot. It is famous for its royal palace which is
composed of 300 rooms and the officers hall decorated with
pictogramms kept at the Louvre museum.
