DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.45603#0061
Bakirha
195
The porch is flanked by walls hewn from the natural rock to which the upper courses
and the caps of the antae were applied. Two columns of the Doric order, with plain
shafts, and with capitals carved with the Classical egg-and-dart, stand between the antae
and carry an epistyle in the form of a Roman architrave adorned with three fascia
and a cymatium composed of an ovolo and a cavetto. The architrave has no frieze
or cornice above it; but a plain tympanum framed with a raking cornice, of cyma
recta profile, which is not carried in a straight line from the ends of the architrave to
the apex of the gable, but breaks in an obtuse angle on either hand above the lateral
intercoluminations. The reason for the breaking of these usually straight lines is not
apparent. The raking cornice is carved on the ends of great slabs that extend back
to another gabled wall built against the hillside, and form a roof for the portico. The
lower ends of the raking cornice are somewhat broken, but they seem to show that
figures of some kind, possibly crouching lions, were carved upon these blocks. A pho-
tograph of the tomb is given in A.A.E.S. II, page 65.
55. BAKIRHA.
The temple at Burdj Bakirha was published, with photographs, a plan and resto-
ration, by the American Expedition. 1 I shall only refer to it in passing here, but the
town of Bakirha, lying below the temple, offers more material for these publications than
we were able to present in our earlier work. The East Church, which was published 3
with a plan and three photographs, I shall re-publish here with restorations; the West
Church, of which only two photographs3 were published, is here represented by a plan and
restorations. The town was one of the larger settlements of the region. It was built on a
series of terraces, with level streets running east and west, and steep connecting streets
extending north and south. If one follows the line of one of the level streets he will have
the colonnades of shops, or the garden walls of houses, on one hand and the eaves or
second story windows of houses which face a lower street on the other hand. The effect
is exactly similar to that of many medieval towns in the mountain countries of Europe.
West Church. Date: 501 A.D. This church is the chief edifice in a group of
religious buildings near the centre of the town (Ill. 201). It was erected on a high
terrace, and formed the northern boundary of a courtyard with buildings on the east
and south sides, those on the south side being set into the slope of the hill. The
west side of the court and the west wall of the church were formed by a high terrace
wall. The north wall of the church, which was set on the edge of a terrace, has
fallen completely away; the south wall and the columns and arches of the nave lie in
ruins; but the east wall preserves the greater part of its lower story. At the east
end of the court stands a fine portal of entrance, and next it is a complete baptistery
(Ill. 202), adjoining which, in the southeast angle of the court, is an arched entrance
of unusual dignity (Ill. 203). The entire south side of the court is occupied by a stoa
of two stories, with a wall and terraced garden behind it, but no rooms, except at
its west end where a group of buildings, now much ruined, were set into the slope of
the hillside. The original church was built at a date considerably earlier than the
date (501 A.D.) given by an inscription on the lintel of the entrance to the cloister
1 A.A.E.S. II, pp. 66—69.
2 Ibid. II, pp. 209—212.
3 Ibid. pp. 191—193.
195
The porch is flanked by walls hewn from the natural rock to which the upper courses
and the caps of the antae were applied. Two columns of the Doric order, with plain
shafts, and with capitals carved with the Classical egg-and-dart, stand between the antae
and carry an epistyle in the form of a Roman architrave adorned with three fascia
and a cymatium composed of an ovolo and a cavetto. The architrave has no frieze
or cornice above it; but a plain tympanum framed with a raking cornice, of cyma
recta profile, which is not carried in a straight line from the ends of the architrave to
the apex of the gable, but breaks in an obtuse angle on either hand above the lateral
intercoluminations. The reason for the breaking of these usually straight lines is not
apparent. The raking cornice is carved on the ends of great slabs that extend back
to another gabled wall built against the hillside, and form a roof for the portico. The
lower ends of the raking cornice are somewhat broken, but they seem to show that
figures of some kind, possibly crouching lions, were carved upon these blocks. A pho-
tograph of the tomb is given in A.A.E.S. II, page 65.
55. BAKIRHA.
The temple at Burdj Bakirha was published, with photographs, a plan and resto-
ration, by the American Expedition. 1 I shall only refer to it in passing here, but the
town of Bakirha, lying below the temple, offers more material for these publications than
we were able to present in our earlier work. The East Church, which was published 3
with a plan and three photographs, I shall re-publish here with restorations; the West
Church, of which only two photographs3 were published, is here represented by a plan and
restorations. The town was one of the larger settlements of the region. It was built on a
series of terraces, with level streets running east and west, and steep connecting streets
extending north and south. If one follows the line of one of the level streets he will have
the colonnades of shops, or the garden walls of houses, on one hand and the eaves or
second story windows of houses which face a lower street on the other hand. The effect
is exactly similar to that of many medieval towns in the mountain countries of Europe.
West Church. Date: 501 A.D. This church is the chief edifice in a group of
religious buildings near the centre of the town (Ill. 201). It was erected on a high
terrace, and formed the northern boundary of a courtyard with buildings on the east
and south sides, those on the south side being set into the slope of the hill. The
west side of the court and the west wall of the church were formed by a high terrace
wall. The north wall of the church, which was set on the edge of a terrace, has
fallen completely away; the south wall and the columns and arches of the nave lie in
ruins; but the east wall preserves the greater part of its lower story. At the east
end of the court stands a fine portal of entrance, and next it is a complete baptistery
(Ill. 202), adjoining which, in the southeast angle of the court, is an arched entrance
of unusual dignity (Ill. 203). The entire south side of the court is occupied by a stoa
of two stories, with a wall and terraced garden behind it, but no rooms, except at
its west end where a group of buildings, now much ruined, were set into the slope of
the hillside. The original church was built at a date considerably earlier than the
date (501 A.D.) given by an inscription on the lintel of the entrance to the cloister
1 A.A.E.S. II, pp. 66—69.
2 Ibid. II, pp. 209—212.
3 Ibid. pp. 191—193.