Syria – The Dead Cities

I took a day trip to the “Dead Cities” just outside of Aleppo. I had wanted to go to the Dead Cities, but it would have been expensive for me to go alone with a tour guide. In Aleppo I met a couple from Seattle when I was at the Citadel. We chatted and got to know each other a bit. We decided to go together on the tour and split the fare. The Dead Cities are ancient abandoned villages west of Aleppo that was inhabited from the 1st to 7th Centuries. They are mainly from the Byzantine Period.

(each of the photos are clickable)

Church of Saint Simeon built in the 5th Century

Ruins of Ain Dara Temple dating between 8th – 10th century BC

Farm just outside the temple

Afterwards our guide invited us to his home. He lived between the Dead Cities and Aleppo

(Coming Up: Hama, Palmyra, and Damascus)