DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45594#0047
i8
II. B. i. The cAla.
12. halbAn.
This seems t'o have been among the more important places in ancient times in
the "Ala. It is now a small village of two hundred inhabitants or less, and only one
ancient building preserves enough of its form to make a publication of it possible.
Numerous Greek inscriptions however were discovered here and one in Syriac; from
one1 of the former we learn that the ancient town was called ’Ok(3ai/a or
a name not very different from that by which the present Arab settlers know
the place.
referred to above appears upon the portal of
Scale- 1cm-Im-
-zt
by a
Halban-
'tower-
date- 542AD-
z.—•
Ill. 16.
Tower, 543 A.D. The
the one ancient building here
tioned, and is surmounted
ornament of the lintel is of the kind most common in the region, consisting of a cross
within a circle, and bands of lettering, all in relief. The inscription gives the year
543 A.D. as the date of the tower.
inscription
of which any considerable portions are standing, — one of
the towers so common in all this eastern region
of Northern Syria, several of which have been des-
cribed in the foregoing pages. The building is
oblong in plan, (Ill. 16) measuring about 5.75 m.
by 7.60 m., with the entrance in one of its shorter
sides, facing north. The entire ground story is pre-
served, and the east wall, and part of the north
wall of the first floor. The ground story has one
great arch spanning the middle of its compartment,
and there are small loop-hole windows on every
side but the south. The two stories are very dif-
ferently built, the ground story being constructed of
highly finished and well squared blocks of basalt
in courses averaging 45 cm. high, with the headers
projecting to form bosses. The upper story is built
of quadrated, but quarry faced, blocks in courses
about 30 cm. high, with a single course in which
the headers protrude. A projecting string course,
20 cm. wide, divides the two stories. This use of
a different treatment for the masonry of the sepa-
rate stories was not common, if we may judge from
the remains of towers in this locality. The tower
of Temek, as we have seen, (Ill. 8) is of finished
stone from bottom to top, and there are other towers
that are of quarry faced blocks throughout; but the
effect is not unpleasing. The portal is well propor-
slightly stilted semi-circular arch of discharge. The
T
•LN
AAA
A
A
fwTA
ckA
A
AT-
w
■■ J'k
k
■
i AW.
' i -.
kFHT
k
■ f .bi
T TTATT-T-. K TH
—-LA '-T-.' - L.J
T
w
SET
i - -- . .
, ST ..ATT t :
1 Div. Ill, insc. 871.
II. B. i. The cAla.
12. halbAn.
This seems t'o have been among the more important places in ancient times in
the "Ala. It is now a small village of two hundred inhabitants or less, and only one
ancient building preserves enough of its form to make a publication of it possible.
Numerous Greek inscriptions however were discovered here and one in Syriac; from
one1 of the former we learn that the ancient town was called ’Ok(3ai/a or
a name not very different from that by which the present Arab settlers know
the place.
referred to above appears upon the portal of
Scale- 1cm-Im-
-zt
by a
Halban-
'tower-
date- 542AD-
z.—•
Ill. 16.
Tower, 543 A.D. The
the one ancient building here
tioned, and is surmounted
ornament of the lintel is of the kind most common in the region, consisting of a cross
within a circle, and bands of lettering, all in relief. The inscription gives the year
543 A.D. as the date of the tower.
inscription
of which any considerable portions are standing, — one of
the towers so common in all this eastern region
of Northern Syria, several of which have been des-
cribed in the foregoing pages. The building is
oblong in plan, (Ill. 16) measuring about 5.75 m.
by 7.60 m., with the entrance in one of its shorter
sides, facing north. The entire ground story is pre-
served, and the east wall, and part of the north
wall of the first floor. The ground story has one
great arch spanning the middle of its compartment,
and there are small loop-hole windows on every
side but the south. The two stories are very dif-
ferently built, the ground story being constructed of
highly finished and well squared blocks of basalt
in courses averaging 45 cm. high, with the headers
projecting to form bosses. The upper story is built
of quadrated, but quarry faced, blocks in courses
about 30 cm. high, with a single course in which
the headers protrude. A projecting string course,
20 cm. wide, divides the two stories. This use of
a different treatment for the masonry of the sepa-
rate stories was not common, if we may judge from
the remains of towers in this locality. The tower
of Temek, as we have seen, (Ill. 8) is of finished
stone from bottom to top, and there are other towers
that are of quarry faced blocks throughout; but the
effect is not unpleasing. The portal is well propor-
slightly stilted semi-circular arch of discharge. The
T
•LN
AAA
A
A
fwTA
ckA
A
AT-
w
■■ J'k
k
■
i AW.
' i -.
kFHT
k
■ f .bi
T TTATT-T-. K TH
—-LA '-T-.' - L.J
T
w
SET
i - -- . .
, ST ..ATT t :
1 Div. Ill, insc. 871.