DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45598#0069
il-Burdj.
103
Tower. To the northwest of the fort are the ruins of a small square tower
(Ill. 120) facing north, with a transverse arch near its south wall. While the interior
is 5 m. wide, the arch is only 2.65 m. wide, and the salient piers have the effect of
making two separate apartments. The slope of the battering wall is that of the hy-
potenuse of a triangle whose base is 20 cm. and whose altitude is 32 cm.
42. KURSENTEH.
This is a small ruin that is inhabited by a few families during part of the year.
The ancient buildings have been entirely destroyed: some of the
private houses have been crudely rebuilt for modern use. There
is little in situ that can be singled out as ancient from the hope-
less masses of debris and recent construction. The outlines of the
plan of a church (Ill. 121) of medium size are still to be traced;
the apse, 5.40 m. wide, preserves its wall to a height of about
3 m. The nave was 12.80 m. wide and 19.20 m. long. There are
no remains of chambers beside the apse, nor of interior supports
in the nave; but it is quite possible that both once existed, and
have completely disappeared.
43. IL-BURDJ.
The broken walls of a tower, still preserving at least 10 m.
of its original height, make this site conspicuous for miles around
in this comparatively flat country. Here is the point furthest south reached by our
expedition in this particular locality, and the tower
itself commands an extensive view of open country
still further south in the direction of the cAla. A
number of small ruins were sighted from this elevation,
in the unexplored region between il-Burdj and the
northern limits of the cAla; but, for the lack of time,
we were unable to reach them. The extent of the
unexplored territory may be judged from the map
presented in the front of the first part of this Section.
Il-Burdj itself is a small village. Most of the ancient
buildings have been entirely destroyed ; only the watch
tower and numerous fragments indicate the antiquity
of the ruins. The majority of the fragments are of
basalt, and all the dismembered walls now visible
are of that material; but the tower is partly of
basalt and partly of limestone. There are quantities
of ancient, broken architectural details in the houses
of the village, all seem to be later than the fourth
century. Two inscriptions were found here.
Tower: 526A.D. The ruins of the watch-tower
)f the ancient town. It was a square structure of the
Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria, Div. II, Sec. B. Pt. 2. 14
il-byrd J-
Tower-
stand near the middle
EATE:
JvlyA26AD-
Kvbsenteh-
Chvrch-
Ill. 121.
103
Tower. To the northwest of the fort are the ruins of a small square tower
(Ill. 120) facing north, with a transverse arch near its south wall. While the interior
is 5 m. wide, the arch is only 2.65 m. wide, and the salient piers have the effect of
making two separate apartments. The slope of the battering wall is that of the hy-
potenuse of a triangle whose base is 20 cm. and whose altitude is 32 cm.
42. KURSENTEH.
This is a small ruin that is inhabited by a few families during part of the year.
The ancient buildings have been entirely destroyed: some of the
private houses have been crudely rebuilt for modern use. There
is little in situ that can be singled out as ancient from the hope-
less masses of debris and recent construction. The outlines of the
plan of a church (Ill. 121) of medium size are still to be traced;
the apse, 5.40 m. wide, preserves its wall to a height of about
3 m. The nave was 12.80 m. wide and 19.20 m. long. There are
no remains of chambers beside the apse, nor of interior supports
in the nave; but it is quite possible that both once existed, and
have completely disappeared.
43. IL-BURDJ.
The broken walls of a tower, still preserving at least 10 m.
of its original height, make this site conspicuous for miles around
in this comparatively flat country. Here is the point furthest south reached by our
expedition in this particular locality, and the tower
itself commands an extensive view of open country
still further south in the direction of the cAla. A
number of small ruins were sighted from this elevation,
in the unexplored region between il-Burdj and the
northern limits of the cAla; but, for the lack of time,
we were unable to reach them. The extent of the
unexplored territory may be judged from the map
presented in the front of the first part of this Section.
Il-Burdj itself is a small village. Most of the ancient
buildings have been entirely destroyed ; only the watch
tower and numerous fragments indicate the antiquity
of the ruins. The majority of the fragments are of
basalt, and all the dismembered walls now visible
are of that material; but the tower is partly of
basalt and partly of limestone. There are quantities
of ancient, broken architectural details in the houses
of the village, all seem to be later than the fourth
century. Two inscriptions were found here.
Tower: 526A.D. The ruins of the watch-tower
)f the ancient town. It was a square structure of the
Publications of the Princeton University Archaeological Expedition to Syria, Div. II, Sec. B. Pt. 2. 14
il-byrd J-
Tower-
stand near the middle
EATE:
JvlyA26AD-
Kvbsenteh-
Chvrch-
Ill. 121.