ENPages That Mention Shaḳḳā
Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria V, 1900
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The Haouran
We entered the Haouran district from the north and, after spending the night at Sawara il-Kebîreh where there were some unimportant ancient remains, passed along the Eastern edge of the Ledjā toward Shaḳḳā - on the way we passed an ancient town in complete ruins rebuilt for modern use. To the south east of this is a large ruined structure which we stopped to examine. This is called il-Haiyât. The building differs from those of the ancient walls in the neighboring town in its construction which is of a much better class being built of large well-fitted blocks with tooled edges. It is a long two-story structure well preserved and different in plan and design from any of the buildings we have seen. It faces north the longer axis running east and west.
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Tarba and vicinity. May 15 - 21, 1900
We passed by Shaḳḳā and other points of interest and pressed on to Tarba from whence we were to make our excursion into the Ruḥbe. On the 16th I made an excursion to Mālirîyeh, the northeastern outpost of the Haouren and found it an extensive ruin consisting of small houses and defence towers all built in the crudest manner of rough broken stone only the jambs and lintels of some of the doors were dressed - a few of the houses showed primitive exterior stairs made of long pieces inserted in the wall and the crude method of flooring and roofing is illustrated. The walls are corbelled out all round by two or three successive courses projecting above one another and then long slender blocks or lacs are laid across. These were covered with boughs and such as in the method employed at the present day by the Druses.
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Our visit to Shaḳḳā was devoted chiefly to taking photographs of the buildings so well published by M. de Vogüé and to the search for inscriptions, a number of which were found which are apparently unknown.
We found the buildings illustrated by de Vogüé sadly broken and not nearly so well preserved as when he was here. The modern town has grown considerably since then and the ancient buildings have been preyed upon for the material.
The Kaisariyeh holds its own pretty well altho attempts have been made to displace the lintel of the great portal. The arched monument in front of the above retains much of its ancient form - one half standing but the great church has almost completely disappeared - The interior is absolutely irrecognizable from de Vogüés drawings and only fragments of the facade remain by which the monument may be identified. (see photographs.)
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After leaving Shaḳḳā - on the way to Sheh La we stopped for the day at Ṭafḥā a little to the S.W. This ruin is situated, like many medieval towns in Europe, at the top of a high truncated conical hill.
The site is fine and commanding. It has been deserted for several years but former occupation has rendered the ruin difficult to study - for the modern Druses have adapted, almost without change, the building methods of their predecessors and their houses are almost identical with ancient trenches of the of the cruder and more primitive type.
The church here, one of those published by de Vogüé, is one of the best preserved examples of church architecture in the Haurân. It seems to have been built on the site of a classic temple and many classic fragments may still be seen in its walls. This fact I think
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architrave, would suggest the theory that the space between the central columns was spanned by an arch as was the custom in many later Roman buildings in Syria.
In a house near by built into the wall is a fine section of architectual detail in form of a trunk of a palm tree.
Church. There are also remains of a church in this place - Three bays of a nave and side aisles, similar in construction and arrangement to the churches of Shaḳḳā and Ṭafḥā are to be seen in a house.
