DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45584#0076
352
Division III Section A Part 5
hi. DER SMEDJ·
Not more than fifteen minutes’ walk to the northeastward of Kanawat is this
sequestered ruin, all but hidden in trees and thick shrubbery, in the bottom of the
valley below the city. It is the ruin of a temenos, — a sacred enclosure - of Pagan times,
and undoubtedly is to be considered as one of the holy places of Kanawat; for there
is no remnant of a village near it. The remains here consist of a heavy wall enclosing
a square with three richly carved portals in the east side (Ill. 317), a colonnade
extending all around the interior, a square tower at the northeast angle, and a long
arched hall, possibly a church of later date, which was built against the north wall on
the outside along its eastern half. The enclosing wall which shows a decided batter
on the outside, measures 0.97 m. in thickness at the top and 1.50 m. near the bottom.
It has two plain, rather small, doorways on the south side, and three openings on the
north, one leading into the tower, and two into the long, arched buildiug. These last
were certainly broken through the wall after its completion. The wall was built of
highly dressed blocks of basalt, but only the lower courses remain; for the site was
used as a quarry probably as early as the fourth century, and still serves in that
capacity for a number of Druse villages. The three doorways on the east wall, (A),
(B), and (C) in the plan, were not symmetrically placed with regard either to spacing
or relative size, or in connexion with the pilasters. The portal (A) at the left, is the
widest and most richly ornamented. Portal (B) is larger than portal (C), but their
ornaments are equally rich. The three pilasters were placed without reference to the
openings. Portals (A) and (B) rise from a salient moulding (N), like the cap of a podium,
upon which the pilasters rest, above this is a base moulding (M) which forms the bases
of the pilasters; but the salient cap moulding and the base moulding above it terminate
with the pilaster bases to the right and left of the two portals, and all the rest of the
wall, including the part which contains portal (C), is entirely plain. Portal (C) was
apparently reached by steps that have been carried away; but it seems to be the case
that the other two portals had no steps in front of them, and were not entrances in
the ordinary sense.
The enclosure within was probably paved throughout; for some of the pavement
is still well preserved at the southeast angle. The colonnade stood about 3 m. from
the wall all around, a few of the columns are standing, many bases are in situ, and
fallen columns are to be seen on all sides of the square. The order is a simple
Doric (D) of the later form with a torus base and moulded abacus; the profile of the
echinus is very good. Of special interest are the coupled half-columns joined to a
square pier (E), on which the colonnade turned the four angles of the court. These
are made up of sections cut from a single block, like a column-drum, and the mouldings
of the base are carried around the square pier, as shown in the drawing at (E). The
caps of these angle-piers were in all probability similarly treated, but none of them
could be found. Between the colonnade and the wall, at the southwest angle, is a
trench stoned up on both sides and covered with long paving stones. Owing to the
debris along the wall at all other places, I was unable to find how far this trench
extended. The tower at the northeast angle is built of drafted masonry, and protrudes
from the line of the front wall of the temenos. It was probably coeval with the main
walls. The long building west of the tower on the north side of the temenos wall is
Division III Section A Part 5
hi. DER SMEDJ·
Not more than fifteen minutes’ walk to the northeastward of Kanawat is this
sequestered ruin, all but hidden in trees and thick shrubbery, in the bottom of the
valley below the city. It is the ruin of a temenos, — a sacred enclosure - of Pagan times,
and undoubtedly is to be considered as one of the holy places of Kanawat; for there
is no remnant of a village near it. The remains here consist of a heavy wall enclosing
a square with three richly carved portals in the east side (Ill. 317), a colonnade
extending all around the interior, a square tower at the northeast angle, and a long
arched hall, possibly a church of later date, which was built against the north wall on
the outside along its eastern half. The enclosing wall which shows a decided batter
on the outside, measures 0.97 m. in thickness at the top and 1.50 m. near the bottom.
It has two plain, rather small, doorways on the south side, and three openings on the
north, one leading into the tower, and two into the long, arched buildiug. These last
were certainly broken through the wall after its completion. The wall was built of
highly dressed blocks of basalt, but only the lower courses remain; for the site was
used as a quarry probably as early as the fourth century, and still serves in that
capacity for a number of Druse villages. The three doorways on the east wall, (A),
(B), and (C) in the plan, were not symmetrically placed with regard either to spacing
or relative size, or in connexion with the pilasters. The portal (A) at the left, is the
widest and most richly ornamented. Portal (B) is larger than portal (C), but their
ornaments are equally rich. The three pilasters were placed without reference to the
openings. Portals (A) and (B) rise from a salient moulding (N), like the cap of a podium,
upon which the pilasters rest, above this is a base moulding (M) which forms the bases
of the pilasters; but the salient cap moulding and the base moulding above it terminate
with the pilaster bases to the right and left of the two portals, and all the rest of the
wall, including the part which contains portal (C), is entirely plain. Portal (C) was
apparently reached by steps that have been carried away; but it seems to be the case
that the other two portals had no steps in front of them, and were not entrances in
the ordinary sense.
The enclosure within was probably paved throughout; for some of the pavement
is still well preserved at the southeast angle. The colonnade stood about 3 m. from
the wall all around, a few of the columns are standing, many bases are in situ, and
fallen columns are to be seen on all sides of the square. The order is a simple
Doric (D) of the later form with a torus base and moulded abacus; the profile of the
echinus is very good. Of special interest are the coupled half-columns joined to a
square pier (E), on which the colonnade turned the four angles of the court. These
are made up of sections cut from a single block, like a column-drum, and the mouldings
of the base are carried around the square pier, as shown in the drawing at (E). The
caps of these angle-piers were in all probability similarly treated, but none of them
could be found. Between the colonnade and the wall, at the southwest angle, is a
trench stoned up on both sides and covered with long paving stones. Owing to the
debris along the wall at all other places, I was unable to find how far this trench
extended. The tower at the northeast angle is built of drafted masonry, and protrudes
from the line of the front wall of the temenos. It was probably coeval with the main
walls. The long building west of the tower on the north side of the temenos wall is