Butler Diary: Northern and Central Syria II, 1899

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62

Bānḳûsa

N.Church. The church at the north end of town is much older - in fact it is probably the most ancient church we have seen. It is partly excavated in the rock at its western and northern sidesand is built in the heaviest megalithic style. The inside measurements are 38 x 50ft. to apse. The apse end was rectangular. The apse opening 13ft between pilasters The nave was divided by 2 rows of 6 columns ^each^ about 12ft high, standing close together and supporting narrow three piece arches. The caps were simple sub corinthian and ionic. Shaft of cols 9.6 high 1.7 diam. The south wall is composed of narrow blocks roughly quadrated, one lintel measures 9.2 x 2.2 x 1.10 {GK. inscr. on jamb d.- A.D. W.K.P. inscr 44}

Across the apse opening are fragments of a solid chancel rail richly carved in panels. Each panel contains a different section The symbol, the fish, the amphora etc.

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Bānḳûsa

Domestic Architecture. The domestic architecture of the town is of two general classes, polygonal and quadrated. Of the former there are two types of a rougher and a finely cut and fitted kind both have door and window frames of large monoliths.

The rough polygonal type is represented in a small house west of the centre of the town. It seems to have been of only one story. The walls are exceedingly thick and laid with double face. The lintel and jambs of the doorway are exceedingly massive as is the framing of the small windows. Within the house is a large hewn basin ^ 10ft. diam. ^ with sides three feet high.

The majority of the houses were in simple quadrated style, some of them were large with courtyards. One retains an arched vestibule before an ornamented house portal, like that in Dauwâr

The colonnaded style seems not to have been prevalent

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Bānḳûsa

A special type of quadrated style is found here in houses nearly square in plan, of two stories. There is a row of evenly dispersed windows in each story. Theses are rectangular in form with a frame moulding describing a semicircle above the window head. Within the semicircles are plain crosses. This is a rare instance of a number of regulare windows in each story, decorated quite after the manner of ch's.

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