BSY_FB_06_p020

20

Bābisḳa

E. Church. The larger church is just east of the
centre of the town, it stands a complete ruin
in a group of several ecclesiastical buildings,
forming the northern side of a quadrangle
which is entered from the west through
an arched gateway. Just within this gate-
way is a large rectangular portal which
seems to have been removed from the ^West ^
of the church in Saracenic times and
built against the arched doorway to
strengthen it, a part of the lintel and
its inscription are hidden by the curve
of the arch ^ (.W.K. P. Insc 240) ^ date 480 A.D.. The church itself presents
a rather unusual plan ^ (No 7) ^ at the East end,
where the semicircular apse projects
slightly beyond the eastern wall with
which it is structurally connected. Only the
very plain west wall and a portion of the
apse and east wall are standing but the
ruins show that the church was one of
considerable richness. A fallen lintel lying