ENPages That Mention Djebel Berisha
Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria I, 1899
BSY_FB_05p50
50
District II. Djebel Berîsha
On leaving Kalb Lauzi we quitted the Djebel el A'la, crossed the narrow valley and began our work upon the towns of the Djebel Berîsha, making our first camp at Bashmishli the northernmost inhabited village of the mountain range.
En route we stopped at Bānaḳfûr a ruined town about half the way up the mountain, well placed on the western slope with a fine prospect to the N.W.
From this point we saw many of the towns on the opposite Djebel which we had visited and saw one which we had not heard of - This we shall visit before moving southward in the Djebel Barisha
At Bānaḳfûr we found much of interest the church? which de Vogüé noted and ruins of several large buildings and some interesting tombs.
BSY_FB_05_p.68
68
Khirbet el-Khaṭîb November 4, 1899
This small ruined town is situated in the valley between the northern end of the mountains of the Djebel Berîsha and the cluster of foothills which lie to the north. It is distant about an hour from Bashmishli and on the way to it one must pass through the extensive ruins of Burdj Baḳirhā and Bāḳirḥā itself.
The town presents few well preserved specimens of architecture, the houses being almost all in the plain quadrated style.
The church is small and much fallen; it was built in the simplest plan with sq. east end flanked by chapels. S.E. of the churches is a small square building which doubtless served as a baptistry, here are remains of a font-basin in a niche in the East wall. The fallen lintel bears a (536 A.D.) Semitic insc (Syriac) ^ (E.L. insc. 5) ^ with letters upside down showing a second use of the stone in the 12th century ? Col. with cubical plinth on hill.
BSY_FB_05_p.69
69
Khirbet Tezîn November 4, 1899
This town is one of the northernmost of the Djebel Berîsha. It is situated on the southern slope of one of the highest foothills at the extremity of the range.
Little is left of the town but the church, which is well preserved. The houses, most of which were in plain quadrated style, have fallen completely to ruin.
Church 584 A.D. The church was of simple plan but of fair dimentions. Most of the outer walls are standing and the arch of the apse is still in place, a door to the north and one to the south * still exist with richly decorated lintels and the west front, * with its fine portal and four round topped windows, is almost intact. The cornice of the west portal is decorated with a fine design of conventional foliage ornament.
1st date. The uppermost member bears an inscription giving the date ^ 584 A.D. (W.K.P. no.10)^ of the building of the church* Over the windows is the ordinary looped moulding.
*see photos
Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria II, 1899
BSY_FB_06_p001
1
District II. (continued) Djebel Berîsha. (continued) November 6, 1899
Burdj Bāḳirḥa. 20 mins. from Bashmishli
On the northern slope of the mountain, called Ḳublet-Bābuṭṭa, upon a spur of rock, stands the fine ruin of a pagan temple of Roman date, the first certainly classic building that we have found.
The temple faces the East, a considerable portion of the cella, with the entire west wall and gable is still standing. Of the pronaos only a single column and portions of three others are in place. The plan of the temple was a simple prostyle tetrastyle. It seems to have been surrounded by a walled temenos, of which, only a massive pylon, of simple design remains.
This gateway gives the history of the ^ origin of the ^ edifice in a Greek insc.* of good form. It, the pylon, was erected by three men in honor of Zeus in character of the god of the region, in the year 161 A.D.
*see W.K.P. insc. 12.
BSY_FB_06_p011
11.
This extensive ruined town lies due north of Baḳirḥa about 20 minutes, far below it yet within the valley; but in one of the low northern foothills of the Djebel Berîsha. The northern and southern portions of the town are on higher ground than the centre. The ruins embrace three churches of fair size with other eccesiastical buildings adjacent and a considerable number of domestic builldings most of which have been torn down to build a Saracenic castle which seems to have been built on this site in the middle ages.
Arabic tombstones dated from the 10th-12th century are found in the vicinity. (E.L. insc. 10)
S. Church. The church in the southern extremity of the ruin is of simple plan with square East end and was divided by 2 rows of columns - The apse was arched as is usual in churches of plan no. 3. The church is much dilapiddated, only the South and East walls with a single pilaster
