The Dead Cities or Forgotten Cities are a group of 700 abandoned settlements in northwest Syria between Aleppo and Idlib. Around 40 villages grouped in eight archaeological parks situated in north-western Syria provide an insight into rural life in Late Antiquity and during the Byzantine period. Most of the villages, which date from the 1st to 7th centuries, were abandoned between the 8th and 10th centuries. The settlements feature the well-preserved architectural remains of dwellings, pagan temples, churches, cisterns, bathhouses etc. Important dead cities include the Church of Saint Simeon Stylites, Serjilla and al Bara.
View of Serjilla
Image: Brad Northern Basilica
Image: Barjakah chapel Aleppo
Image: Basufan Church of St. Phocas Apse and arch of Prothesis Corinthian columns with spiral fluting and wind blown capital. Kurdish man seated in foreground
Idlib is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly 500 meters (1,600 ft) above sea level, and is 59 kilometers (37 mi) southwest of Aleppo. The city was taken over by Syrian revolution at the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011, and by 2017 was the seat of the Syrian Salvation Government.
Typical grove in one of the valleys surrounding Idlib (2009).
Idlib
Byzantine temple at Ruweiha near Idlib.
Olive orchards at the outskirts of the city. Idlib is a major production center for olives.
